Family
by Karen-Charlene
Summary: Sequel to Life Changing Experience. Catherine, Lou, and Lindsey's life as a family. AU
1. Not in front of the Child!

**Disclaimer: I don't own CSI nor the characters; CBS and Anthony E. Zuiker do.**

**A/N: I know a lot of you didn't want Life Changing Experience to end, and neither did I. So here's a sequel. No secrets, mystery, or too much drama; just Catherine's, Lou's, and Lindsey's life as a family.  
>Hope you'll like it (:<strong>

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><p><strong>Not in front of the Child!<strong>

Lou could feel the sun light seeping through the white curtains of his and Catherine's bedroom. Without even opening his eyes, he rolled over and buried his head in his girlfriend's neck with a slightl groan. As if of their own will, his hands started wandering her naked body while his lips brushed along her slender neck.

Catherine was still asleep, but her body was well aware of the actions of his mouth and hands and she bucked slightly as his hand settled between her thighs, a quiet moan escaping her lips.

Both of their eyes were still closed, but both of them were now awake as Lou's finger started rubbing Catherine's clit. She turned her head to meet his and they shared a long, gentle kiss. Lou moved to lie on top of her, resting most of his weight on her body, and they kissed again, more passionately this time. Their eyes finally opened and met as Lou slowly eased himself insie Catherine's very wet and warm opening.

They groaned quietly at the connection and Lou started moving slowly while kissing Catherine's neck, her hips matching each of his thrusts. This was their favorite wake up call, especially on mornings like this, when they had time off work and had all the time they wanted to touch each other and be with each other.

They were so lost in passion that they didn't notice the door to their bedroom open and the little blonde, wearing her pink pajamas, walking over to the bed. Their pace quickened as they were nearing their release and Lou captured Catherine's mouth with his to drown out her moans.

"What are you doing?" Lindsey piped up, tilting her head to the side.

The second they heard her voice, they jumped apart, both covering themselves as much as they could. They were red from both the closeness they had had just a second ago and the embarrassment of being caught having sex by their daughter.

Lou lay on his back beside Catherine, looking up at the ceiling and trying to calm his breath, while Catherine rolled onto her side, holding the white blanket tightly to her body, and looked at Lindsey.

"Honey, why don't you go downstairs and we'll be right there to make breakfast?" she asked between pants.

"Whatever, just hurry." The blonde rolled her eyes, turned on her heels, and left the room.

Catherine quickly got out of bed with the blanket wrapped around her body, leaving Lou naked and exposed on the bed. She hurried toward the door and shut it before picking up the clothes, that had been discarded on the floor the previous night, and throwing them onto the bed.

"Get dressed," she ordered.

"Relax, Cath," Lou said as he rolled onto his side with an amused smile on his face. "Nothing happened."

"Nothing happened? Our daughter just caught us having sex!" she snapped.

"Okay, so what? She doesn't even know what sex is, and she's probably already forgotten about it." He reached for her and took her hand in his, trying to pull her closer. "Now get back here and let's finish what we started."

She glared at him and pulled her hand back. "No! We're not having sex! You're getting dressed and going downstairs for breakfast."

"I don't get why you're so upset," he said while sitting up and pulling on his boxers. "So she caught us having sex, so what? It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? She's ten, Lou! She shouldn't see her parents having sex, ever!" she yelled. "You know, I'm amazed at how stupid you can be sometimes."

He raised his eyebrows before saying, "Okay, I know you're not really pissed and it's just your hormones talking, so I'm not offended."

"Would you stop blaming my hormones in every little fight we have? Can't I just be pissed sometimes?" She didn't give him a chance to reply. She stormed into the en suite and slammed the door behind her.

Lou, however, wasn't upset or surprised by her behavior; he was already used to it and, truth be told, he even found it a little amusing sometimes. But he knew better than to tell her or let her see that. He finished getting dressed, made the bed, and walked downstairs to find Lindsey already sitting at the breakfast bar with books open in front of her.

"What are you doing, monster?" he asked as he passed by her on his way to the counter, ruffling her hair on the way.

"Stop calling me that." She raised her head and shot a glare toward him. "And I'm doing my homework."

He took a few eggs out of the fridge and turned to face her. "Why just now?"

"Because I didn't feel like doing it earlier." She shrugged, and before he had a change to reply, she asked, "Were you and mom having sex?"

His eyes widened at her words and his head snapped up to meet her quizzing eyes. "What makes you… how do you even know what sex is?" He couldn't stop his cheeks from going red at his daughter's question.

"Dad, I'm ten; I'm not stupid."

He chuckled and said, "Don't tell your mom," and they both smiled at each other.

He turned back to the counter and started making breakfast just as Catherine came down the stairs, fresher and happier.

"Good morning," she called cheerfully. She bent down and kissed Lindsey's head before proceeding to make her way over to Lou. "You need help?"

"No, I'm good." He smiled at her and turned to face her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Did you calm down?"

"Yes. I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips softly.

"It's okay, I'm used to it," he joked, earning a playful hit on the chest. He laughed and leant forward, kissing her once again.

"You guys, it was bad enough seeing you two having sex, I don't need to see you kissing, too," Lindsey said, scrunching her face up. Catherine turned her head to look at her shocked before looking back at Lou with wide eyes.

"Forget about it," he muttered and un-wrapped his arms from around her so she could sit down at the breakfast bar in front of her daughter.

A few minutes later, Lou served breakfast and sat down next to Catherine. They ate in silence until both Lou and Lindsey noticed Catherine stuffing food into her mouth as if she hadn't seen food in months. When she caught them staring at her rather shocked, she looked between them before asking, mouthful of food, "What?"

"Nothing," they both said in unison and looked back down at their plates.

"No, no, if you have something to say, say it," she demanded.

"It's just… you might want to slow down a little," Lou said. "The food's not going anywhere."

"Hey! I'm allowed to eat as much as I want; I'm eating for two." She pointed at him with the fork and he backed away a little, putting his hands in front of his in defense.

"You sure it's two and not ten?" Lindsey mumbled, looking down at her food, and both she and Lou started laughing silently.

Catherine's mouth dropped open at her daughter's remark and she glared at Lou as she saw him laughing. "Okay, you can laugh all you want, but I'm the one who's gonna push a baby from here," she pointed down, "which means no sex for a long time."

He stopped laughing and his eyes snapped up to meet her rather amused ones. "Cath…" He gestured to the kid present in the room.

"What? She knows what sex is." Catherine shrugged and turned back to her food.

"Okay, I'm traumatized enough," Lindsey said while getting up. "I'm going to get ready for school." And with that, she turned and went upstairs.

"Good job, Cath," Lou said while getting up, took Lindsey's dished off the table, and walked over to the sink, "traumatizing our daughter."

Catherine turned in her stool to face him and smiled. "She'll be fine."

He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "You can be so infuriating sometimes," he murmured, his face mere inches from hers.

"I know." She smiled sweetly at him. "But you love me." He smiled back at her and leant down, capturing her lips with his.

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><p>Catherine pulled up outside Lindsey's school and turned her head to look at her daughter. "I'll pick you up after school and then Nana will stay with you because Dad and I have to work, okay?" The girl only nodded with her head down.<p>

"Hey, what's wrong?" Catherine reached for her and stroked her golden hair.

"When the baby comes, will you love me less?" Lindsey finally lifted her head to look at her mother with big, blue eyes, and Catherine's heart broke at her words and the sad look on her face.

"What? No, of course not." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek. "Honey, you're the most important person in my life and I love you so much, with or without a baby. I could never love you less."

"So you'll love me more?" Lindsey's face lit up, making Catherine chuckle slightly.

"I'll love you both equally. I promise." Lindsey nodded and Catherine pulled her into a hug. "Now go. I don't want you being late."

"Okay." Lindsey leant up and kissed her mother's cheek, making her smile softly. She pulled back and got out of the car. "Love you, Mom."

"I love you, too," Catherine called after her. She watched with a smile on her face as her daughter ran over to her girlfriends and they walked together toward the building. When Lindsey finally disappeared from her sight, she started the engine and drove off.

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><p><strong>It might take me a while to publish the next chapter 'cause I'm still not entirely sure what I want it to be.<strong>

**Reviews are always appreciated.**

**-Zohar.**


	2. Pissed

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

**A/N: I just wanted to say thanks for all the lovely reviews, it makes me happy to know that people actually read and like this sequel. So, here's the second chapter, and I might upload the third one tomorrow if I have time.  
>Enjoy (:<strong>

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><p><strong>Pissed<strong>

She was already pissed off. She had worked three murder cases that night and only one was solved; a suspect had been making comments about how sexy she was nonstop; she had gotten into a fight with a casino owner while trying to investigate a murder that had occurred in his casino, and to top that all, her hormones were all over the place, driving her crazy.

So when she saw Conrad Ecklie approaching her in the lab's corridors, all she wanted to do was turn on her heels and escape from there. She wasn't in the mood for a conversation with him and, although she didn't know what he wanted from her, she knew that whatever conversation she'd have with him would make her even more pissed and hormonal.

"Willows," the under sheriff called, ruining her plan to get away and making her turn to face him.

"How can I help you, Conrad?" she asked as sweetly as she could as she started walking toward him.

"You were the CSI working 'The Romance Killer' case, right?" he questioned.

Catherine immediately knew what he was talking about: a couple of months earlier, two bodies, who eventually turned out to be a married couple, were found together in bed in a romantic position. Two weeks later, another couple was found dead in another, similar position. Catherine and Nick were the two CSIs working the case and they never found the killer. All they learned was that the killer had chosen his victims randomly, but had made sure that they were married, and he had always positioned them in romantic positions. He had never left a trace behind him – always cleaned the scene thoroughly – and he was called "The Romance Killer" because of the way he would leave the bodies. A few weeks ago, the killing had stopped and Catherine and Nick decided to leave the case for the time being and focus on more important and urgent cases.

"Yeah, me and Nick," Catherine answered Ecklie's question. "Why?"

"We got a similar case," Ecklie replied. "A married couple, found in bed, in a romantic position, not trace from the killer. We think it might be the same guy."

"Well, where are the bodies?" Catherine asked as she pulled her cell phone out of her jean pocket. "I'll get Nick and we'll go there."

"They're in LA." Ecklie's answer made her brows arch. "The sheriff called me earlier and said he thought it might be our guy. I talked to Grissom and he told me you're working the case, so I'm sending you and Stokes to LA."

Catherine's eyes widened slightly at his words. The last thing she needed right now was a trip to LA. She had enough cases in Vegas, not to mention the pile of paper work piling on her desk, and she also had a family to take care of and a baby on the way.

"No, no, no." She shook her head. "I'm not going to LA."

"Excuse me?" Ecklie raised his eyebrow.

"I can't, I need to work here."

"It's only for a few days, Willows. Until you guys find him, and then you can go back to work. You can get someone to take care of some of your cases while you're gone."

"I can't go to LA, Conrad," she insisted. "I have a daughter at home; I need to take care of her."

"Your daughter is old enough, Catherine. She doesn't need you all the time, and she has a father. Now give me a good enough reason why you can't go."

She drew in a breath. That was it. She was going to reveal the secret that only very few people knew. She hadn't told anyone from work just yet and she couldn't believe Ecklie was going to be the first one to hear it, even if it was just a comfortable excuse for her at the moment.

"Okay. I'm pregnant."

This time Ecklie raised both his eyebrows. He did not expect to hear that. Instead of wasting time and getting mad at her for not reporting this earlier, he just asked, "How far along are you?"

"Four months."

"Then you can go," he said quickly, and before she could reply, he continued, "I'll talk to Stokes. I want you to pack tonight, and tomorrow night I want both of you at the airport." Before Catherine could say anything, he was already gone.

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><p>She closed the door behind her and, with a heavy sigh, dropped her bag on the floor and took off her shoes. She thought she had been pissed earlier; that wasn't even close to what she was feeling now, after talking to Ecklie.<p>

She made her way upstairs and stopped by Lindsey's room. She opened the door a crack and her anger disappeared for a moment, being replaced by a soft smile, as she saw her daughter curled up in bed, fast asleep. She closed the door and proceeded to make her way to her and Lou's bedroom.

She walked into the room and found Lou, too, fast asleep in their bed. He had stopped by her office a few hours earlier to tell her he was getting off shift and, truth be told, she was a little bit jealous, seeing as she had just gotten off hers.

She quickly stripped down to her underwear and put on one of his old T-shirts, which had already become her pajamas. She threw the blanket aside, making the man on the bed stir slightly in his sleep, and climbed into bed with a puff. Pulling the blanket up to her waist, she lay on her side and stared at the wall in front of her. She was tired from work, but she was too upset to sleep and her head was flooded with thoughts.

She tensed slightly when she felt a strong arm being wrapped around her waist, but relaxed instantly when she felt Lou's warm hand on her small bump. She sighed and snuggled back into him as his hand slowly caressed her stomach.

"What's wrong?" he mumbled groggily into her hair.

"I thought you were asleep."

"I was, but I can't sleep when you keep throwing things around, especially my blanket."

"Sorry," she murmured. "And it's not _your_ blanket."

Now fully awake, Lou lifted his head and tried to get a look at her face, his hand still drawing circles on her bump. "Who pissed you off?"

She sighed again. "Ecklie."

"What did he do this time?"

"He's sending me to LA on a case."

"My hometown," he murmured, nuzzling his face into her neck and making her roll onto her back and look at him.

"I don't wanna go."

"Why not?"

"Because I have work to do, because I want to be with you and Lindsey. You know how Lindsey hates it when I go away with work."

"Yes, but she's a big girl and she can handle a couple of days without you. Besides, I'm here so she's not going to be alone."

"And I hate going away," she insisted. "I have enough cases piling up as it is, I don't have time to go to LA and work there." She sighed. "I hate him."

"Did you tell him you're pregnant?" Lou asked, stroking her bump.

"Yes." Her eyes softened a little when he mentioned the pregnancy and her hand covered his on her stomach. "He doesn't give a damn."

"Then go to LA." When she glared at him, he added, "I mean, how bad can it be? You'll be there for a couple of days, solve your case, then come back. Lindsey and I will be okay. It might surprise you, but we do just fine without you." She chuckled a little at his sarcasm and he smiled down at her and bent down to kiss her lips softly.

"Fine!" she finally gave up as his lips left hers. "I'll go."

"Good." He kissed her cheek and curled his body around hers. "Now, will you go to sleep? We need to wake up in a few hours."

She sighed and snuggled back into his muscled body, relaxing her own. "You can be really annoying sometimes, you know that?" she muttered.

He buried his head in her neck and murmured, "I know." Catherine smiled and closed her eyes.

A few minutes had passed before she suddenly heard Lou's voice again. "Hey, Cath?"

"Hmm?" was her response as she kept her eyes close, trying to sleep.

"Why don't you just tell people you're pregnant? It will just make things easier for you at work."

Her eyes opened and she turned to face him again. "Exactly because of this reason," she stated. "I don't need help and I don't need a special treatment. The minute people find out about the pregnancy, they will start treating me differently, like I'm disabled or something, and I'm completely capable of doing my job while I'm pregnant. I know my co-workers and I know they love and care about me, and they'll think that helping me and making things easier will be good for me, but I don't need or want help."

"But you know, people will start noticing sooner or later." He stroked her bump again. "You're already starting to show."

"When they notice, then I'll deal with it," she said. "But until I don't have to tell them, I won't."

"Won't they get upset with you when they find out?" Lou asked. "I mean, they are your friends."

"I know, but they'll understand." She sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. "I just… I just don't want this pregnancy to take over my entire career and life. When it's time to worry, then I'll deal with it, but right now, I can do my job and I manage to do everything on my own, and if people knew now, they wouldn't care what I say; they'd try to help me and treat me differently, and I just don't want that yet."

"Okay," Lou said. "Fair enough."

"Now, can we sleep please? I've had a rough night." He chuckled and kissed her temple before cuddling her again. They fell asleep within minutes, with Lou's arm wrapped protectively around Catherine's stomach, as if he was protecting their unborn child, and Catherine's hand covering his.

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><p><strong>Short chapter, I know, but I'll make up for it in the next one.<strong>

**I'm expecting reviews since I stayed up till 4am to write this chapter! My eyes actually hurt!**

**-Zohar.**


	3. LA

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

**A/N: This chapter took me a few hours to write, actually, because it was a little bit hard. But, I managed eventually, so I hope it's good.**

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><p><strong>LA<strong>

"Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Willows," CSI Davis said with a smile, shaking Catherine's hand.

"No, thank you." She smiled back. "We wouldn't have solved this case without you and your guys."

"Well, tell your partner I said thanks, and have a good trip back home."

"Thank you." She smiled at him one last time before heading out of LAPD headquarters.

It had been a long two days in which she and Nick had been working nonstop on trying to find their serial killer. Only after finally finding and arresting him, Catherine realized just how exhausted she was. Not only she had barely slept in the past two days, the pregnancy was making her even weaker and more tired. But there was one more thing she needed to do before going back to Vegas.

"Hey, Cath, the cab is waiting for us, are you coming?" Nick asked as he saw her heading out of the building toward him.

"You go, I'll catch the next flight," she told him and he frowned in confusion and concern.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." She gave him a reassuring smile. "I just have something I need to take care of. I'll be back before next shift starts. Will you cover for me?"

Nick knew better than to inquire his co-worker and her decision and he trusted her that she knew what she was doing. So he simply nodded and said goodbye before climbing into the cab and taking off.

Now standing alone in the parking lot, Catherine looked around her at the palm trees and the sunset that was giving the sky a pinkish shade, and sighed. She reached for her jean pocket and pulled out the tiny piece of paper with the address she had gotten earlier by pulling some strings. Biting her lip slightly, she hesitated for a moment, and then called a cab.

'Brooke and Tyler Vartann,' the sign on the brown, wooden door read. Catherine knew she was at the right place and, bringing her hand up, she knocked three times.

The door opened and on the other side stood a tall, brunette woman in her late thirties. She was wearing jeans and T-shirt, had brown eyes, and she was smiling at Catherine.

"Hello."

"Hi." Catherine smiled back at the woman. "Are you Meredith?"

"Yes. Can I help you?"

"Actually, yes, you can." Catherine nodded and held out her hand for the woman to shake. "I'm Catherine Willows."

The woman shook her hand, confusion written on her face. "How can I help you, Catherine?"

"I'm… I'm Lou's girlfriend."

The nice, warm look on the woman's face was immediately replaced by a somewhat annoyed one, and she was just about to shut the door in Catherine's face when Catherine put a hand on it to stop it from closing, which made Meredith look even angrier.

"Did he send you here?" she asked, her voice, too, no longer sweet and nice, but annoyed.

"No, he doesn't even know I'm here," Catherine answered. "I wanted to talk to you."

"I have nothing to talk to you about."

"Look," Catherine said calmly, "I'm not here to fight with you or judge you, I just want to talk. Can I please come in?"

A look of hesitant mixed with annoyance flashed across Meredith's face before she finally opened the door wide enough for Catherine to step it. Catherine nodded as if to say thank you and walked into the house. It was a nice, small house, not like most houses in LA. Meredith led her into the living room, where Catherine saw many pictures of a Brunette, freckled boy.

They sat down on the couch and an awkward silence took over. Meredith stared at Catherine in anticipation to what she was going to say as the strawberry-blonde scanned the room. Her eyes settled on a picture of Meredith and the boy and she smiled.

"Is that Tyler?"

Meredith looked at the picture and couldn't help but smile softly at the smiling face of her son. "Yeah," she said in a aofter voice than before.

"He's adorable." Catherine smiled and turned to look at the brunette.

"Why are you here?" Meredith finally cut to the chase.

"I wanted to hear about you and Lou," Catherine replied.

"Hasn't he told you?"

"He has, but I wanted to hear it from your point of view."

Meredith looked down and sighed. "What Lou and I had was a mistake. We were young; we were drunk, and one drunken night led to, well, Tyler. And don't get me wrong," she said, "I love Tyler with all my heart and he's the best thing that ever happened to me, but neither Lou nor I wanted to get married; we wanted to live our lives, do whatever we wanted. But when Tyler came along, we thought marriage was the best answer."

Catherine couldn't help but think what would have happened if Lou had known about Lindsey from the start. Would she end up in the same place Meredith was today?

"Lou never really knew how to be a good father to Tyler. Sure, he would always play with him and take him to see places, and they both loved it, but he was too busy with work and barely had time for neither of us. he was miserable in this marriage and so was I, and at some point in our marriage, he started coming home drunk. I wasn't afraid of him and knew he wouldn't hurt me or Tyler, but I didn't want him near Tyler in his state. You understand, right?"

Catherine nodded. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. The Lou Meredith was describing was nothing like the Lou she knew; the man who would do anything for her and their daughter.

"Our fights just kept worsening and we decided to get divorced. By then, he was a completely different person, and to be honest, I didn't really feel safe giving him custody on Tyler because at least when we were married, I was always around when they were together, but I didn't want Tyler alone with him when he would get drunk or bring girls home."

"But he's still his son," Catherine insisted. "You can't just keep him away from his father. Did you think what it would do to Tyler, to grow up without his father?"

"I know, and by the time I realized it, Lou was already gone," Meredith said. "I tried looking for him, but his boss told me he'd moved to Vegas."

"Mom," they suddenly heard a voice say and turned their heads to see a brunette boy standing in the doorway, "when's dinner ready?"

"Soon, honey." Meredith smiled at him and he turned to leave the room when Catherine's voice stopped him.

"Hi, Tyler." He turned around and looked at her smiling face. "I'm Catherine. I'm a friend of your father."

"I don't have a father," Tyler said, making both Catherine's and Meredith's hearts to break a little. Catherine looked at Meredith as if asking for permission to talk to him, and the woman nodded, turning to Tyler.

"Baby, why don't you go show Catherine your new bike?" she suggested, deciding to give the two some privacy. He shrugged and started walking outside. Catherine smiled softly at Meredith before following him out.

"So how old are you, Tyler?" she asked once they were outside on the front porch.

"Thirteen," he answered quietly, sitting down on a step, and Catherine sat down next to him.

"It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you. Your dad can't stop talking about you."

"I already told you," Tyler said, looking down, "I don't have a dad."

"Why are you saying that?" she asked softly, trying to get a look at his face. He finally looked up at her and she noticed he had the same eyes as Lou's; the eyes she would always get lost in.

"Because he just left. He doesn't care about me and doesn't want anything to do with me. If he did, he would stay and fight for me. He doesn't even try to contact me."

Catherine's heart broke at his words and the sound of his voice. "That's not true," she said softly. "He did try to fight for you, but it's not that easy. He loves you and misses you-"

"Stop," he cut her off. "He doesn't love me. If he did, he would be here."

"He does love you, Tyler." She insisted, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. "He keeps talking about you and about all the things you've done together, and he always sends you presents on your birthdays and holidays."

This time, Tyler's green-gray eyes filled with tears, but he quickly wiped them away. "I never got them."

Catherine made a mental note to ask Meredith about it later, before continuing. "Tyler, your dad loves you very much. Whatever happened between him and your mom has nothing to do with you and his feelings toward you. And believe me that he would want nothing more than to be with you again. You gotta forgive him. He's done nothing to hurt you."

"But he left me." This time Tyler's voice broke and the tears started pouring out. Catherine felt as though she was going to cry as well, and the hormones weren't helping the situation. She gathered him into her arms and held him close to her chest as he cried quietly.

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><p>Meanwhile, in Vegas, Lou was just starting his shift, and on his way to LVPD, he stopped at the lab to check if Catherine had arrived. When he found her office empty, signaling she still hadn't come back, he turned to leave, but then he saw Nick.<p>

"Hey, Stokes," he called, making the Texan turn around. "Do you know where Catherine is?"

"She didn't talk to you?" Nick asked, walking toward him.

"Talk to me about what?" Lou asked, concern starting to set in.

"She stayed in LA," Nick said, "said she'd come back later. She said she had something to take care of."

Lou frowned in both concern and confusion. He thanked Nick and left. On his way to the car, he pulled out his phone and dialed Catherine's number.

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><p>As Catherine and Tyler walked back into the house, Catherine's phone went off. She pulled it out of her pocket, looked at the screen, and seeing Lou's name, she kept looking at it for a few more seconds, and then decided to ignore it and put it back in her pocket.<p>

"Aren't you getting it?" she heard Tyler ask and looked down at him to see him looking at her curiously.

"Nah." She shook her head and smiled. "They can wait." She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and they walked together into the kitchen, where Meredith was standing and making dinner. She heard them walking in and turned around.

"Would you like to stay for dinner, Catherine?" she suggested with a smile. Catherine looked down at Tyler to check if it was okay with him and he nodded in response.

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><p>Catherine was back in Vegas the next morning. She walked into the house to a smell of pancakes and smiled.<p>

"Mom!" Lindsey called happily as she ran toward her. She jumped into her mother's arms and hugged her.

"Hey, baby," Catherine said as she held her close and pressed a kiss to her temple. "I missed you." From the corner of her eye, she saw Lou standing in the doorway of the kitchen and knew she had a lot to talk to him about. She put Lindsey down and bent to her height.

"Honey, why don't you go get ready for school while I talk to Dad and then I'll take you?"

"Okay." Lindsey nodded and ran to the stairs.

When she was gone, Lou walked over to Catherine and wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, I was worried about you. I was looking for you last night and Stokes told me you were still in LA, and then I tried calling you, but you didn't answer."

"I know, I'm sorry," she said. "But let's go sit down; I need to talk to you about something?"

"Is everything okay?" he asked while unwrapping his arms from around her and walking with her into the living room. They sat down on the couch and Catherine sighed softly.

"The reason I stayed in LA," she started, "was because I went to see someone." She paused for a moment and then said, "I went to see Meredith."

"Meredith?" Lou frowned in both confusion and surprise. "Meredith as in my ex-wife?"

"Yes." She nodded. "And Tyler."

Lou's frown deepened, this time shock written all over his face. "Why… why did you do that?"

"Because I finally had the opportunity to talk to them and I know how hard it is for you not to be with your son, so I wanted to help."

"But I didn't ask you to help," he said a little bit too harshly than he meant, making her back away a little and arch her eyebrows. "I'm sorry, but… why do you have to complicate things? She got full custody on him and I have nothing to do about it."

"But Lou…" she started, but he stopped her.

"No, forget it. She doesn't want me to see Tyler, so I won't see him."

He got up and started walking away, but stopped in his tracks when heard her say, "Well, that's too bad because they're coming here this weekend."

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><p><strong>Aaaand I'm leaving it here :P<strong>

**Tell me what you thought!**

**-Zohar.**


	4. Tyler

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

**A/N: This chapter was really hard to write so it might not be so good, but I hope you like it.**

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><p><strong>Tyler<strong>

"How do I look?" Lou asked as he turned to face Catherine, wearing a black suit, which was one of Catherine's favorites.

She smiled as she fixed his tie and said, "You look great." He let out a nervous breath and she rested her hand on his cheek to try and calm him down. "Hey, don't worry," she said softly. "It's gonna be alright."

He let out another nervous breath before asking, "What does he look like? I haven't seen him in…" Before he could finish his sentence, the door bell rang and his eyes snapped to meet Catherine's. "It's them."

"You're gonna do great," she assured him with a reassuring smile. She kissed his cheek before he left the bedroom and made his way downstairs. His heart was beating in a way it hadn't in a very long time. He was incredibly nervous; he was going to see his son after… he was too ashamed to admit to himself how much time had passed.

He placed his hand on the handle and drew in a deep breath before opening the door. In front of him stood no other than his ex-wife. She looked exactly the same as she had the last time he saw her: her hair was long and soft, her eyes were sparkly, and she had a radiant smile on her lips.

After the shock of seeing her for the first time after such a long time subsided a little bit, he greeted her with a simple nod. "Meredith."

"Hello, Lou." She smiled at him.

"Meredith, hey," they heard Catherine's voice behind them and Meredith smiled, letting herself into the house, and they shared a hug.

"Uh, where's Tyler?" Lou finally asked when he didn't see his son anywhere around.

Meredith turned to face him with an apologetic look on her face. "He's in the car," she said. "He didn't want to come out."

"Oh," Lou simply said with a nod. He wasn't surprised that his son didn't want to see him and he didn't blame him if after all this time, he hated him. "Can I try to talk to him?" he asked, looking at Meredith with hopeful eyes.

"Of course." She nodded and he headed toward the car, Catherine leading Meredith into the living room.

He watched from a distance as the brunette, freckled boy sat in the passenger seat and played with something. He slowly walked over to the window; every step seemed to take longer than the previous one. Eventually, he stopped just near the car. His heart skipped a beat when he realized how close he was to his son, finally, and he raised his hand and knocked on the window. Tyler looked up and saw him staring at him as if he was some kind of an animal in the zoo. He didn't want to see Lou; he just wanted him to go away.

He finally opened the window and Lou felt as if his heart was going to explode. There was nothing separating between him and his son now. "Hi, Tyler," he said softly with a nervous smile plastered on his face. Tyler didn't answer, so he added, "It's great to finally see you."

"I'm only here because Mom made me," he finally said and looked back down at his iPod.

Lou felt as if someone had just stabbed him in the stomach. He'd known that Tyler probably wouldn't want to see him, but there was a difference between assuming that and actually hearing him say that. He couldn't blame him, though; he was the lousy father.

Instead of showing Tyler how hurt and sorry he was, he faked a smile and motioned to the iPod, asking, "What's that?"

"My iPod," Tyler mumbled without looking up.

"Oh, so you're not into video games anymore?"

"You can't really get a TV into a car, can you?"

Lou chuckled, even though he knew Tyler wasn't trying to make a joke. "Guess I'm just old."

Finally, Tyler looked up at him and said, "Stop. Don't try to be my friend and don't pretend to be my dad. Just leave me alone."

Lou literally had to stop the tears from falling out. Again, he couldn't blame his son for speaking to him this way, but it didn't make the pain he was feeling in his heart any better.

Finally, he drew in a breath and opened the car door, instructing Tyler, "Come on, get out."

Tyler looked up at him startled. He knew Lou wasn't going to hurt him, but the way he was suddenly speaking to him and the firm expression on his face made him feel a little bit intimidated. When Lou saw the look on his son's face, his facial expression softened and he said, "I'm not gonna hurt you. I just want to show you something."

Tyler hesitated for a little bit before unbuckling his seat belt and climbing out of the car. Lou led him to his own car and opened the passenger door for him. "Get in."

"Where are you taking me?" the child asked hesitantly.

"You'll see." Lou gave him a reassuring smile and Tyler climbed reluctantly into the car.

The ride was uncomfortably silent. Neither knew what to say to each other, even though they had been practicing it all the time for the past few days.

Eventually, Lou pulled up by a secluded lake and climbed out of the car. He walked around to the trunk and took out his fishing equipment before opening Tyler's door.

"What are we doing here?" the child asked, and when Lou didn't reply, he climbed out of the car and added in a sarcastic tone, "Are you, like, kidnapping me?"

This made Lou chuckle and he turned to face him with a smile. "I can't; too many cops know me." Tyler couldn't stop the corners of his lips from pulling up into a small smile, but he immediately hid it away.

"I don't want to be here. Take me back."

"Not yet," Lou said as he started heading toward the lake. Standing still, Tyler looked after him and then around him at the unfamiliar place, and eventually, he followed him.

"You remember how we used to go fishing all the time when you were younger?" Lou asked with a smile as he sat down by the lake and turned his head to see Tyler standing a few feet away from him with his hands planted in his jean pockets. "Your mom hated this," he added with a smirk, "said she couldn't stand the smell of the fish."

"She likes it now," Tyler said. "Her ex-boyfriend used to cook fish for her."

He was hoping to make Lou jealous, but his father just smiled and said, "That's good for her." When he saw Tyler standing still, he patted the sand next to him. "Come here, sit down. Don't worry," he added with a smirk when Tyler wouldn't move, "I'm not gonna throw you into the water."

Tyler slowly walked over to him and sat down on the sand. When Lou handed him a fishing rod, however, he said, "I don't remember how to fish."

"Of course you do. It's just like riding a bike."

After showing and explaining to him how to use the rod, silence took over and each was staring at the bright water, flooded with his own thoughts. Finally, Lou broke the silence and started talking about the subject they had both been thinking about since the minute they had met earlier.

"You know," he started, "when your mom and I got married, we were young; we didn't know what we wanted. We thought we were in love, and at the time, maybe we were, but I guess it just wasn't enough. We thought that getting married was the best answer for everything. Later on, we realized we were wrong, but it was too late.

"I never wanted to hurt you; neither of us did. So, we thought that if we stayed together, for you, we could work out our problems. Apparently, it just worsened them. We were both miserable in this marriage and each of us tried to find comfort. I'm not proud that my comfort was alcohol, and I guess that's what led me to losing you."

Finally, Tyler raised his head to look into Lou's eyes. Lou could see the tears forming in his son's green-gray eyes, and so he placed his hand on the child's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him as he said, "I did try to fight for you."

"Don't lie," Tyler mumbled quietly and looked back down at the water.

"Tyler, look at me," he encouraged him, squeezing his shoulder, and the freckled boy glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "I did try. You're my son and I love you, and there's nothing I wanted more – and still do – than to be with you. But back then, I was stupid. I stopped caring about everything and everyone and cared only about myself.

"At first, I blamed your mom for getting full custody over you, but now I know it was also my fault. I made her feel that she couldn't trust me, even with my son, and I regret it every day of my life. I know that I need to deal with the consequences, but I can't help thinking, now that I see you again, that maybe we can have another chance.

"I've changed, Tyler, and now I know how to be a father now. I want to be your father."

Tyler looked down again and let a single tear roll down his cheek. His father's words really touched him, but he couldn't help but feel hurt still.

"Why do you need me?" he mumbled quietly. "Your girlfriend told us you're gonna have a baby."

"You're still my son, Tyler," Lou said, "and that will never change, with or without a baby. I love you and I miss you, and I will do anything to get a second chance with you. I promise, if you let me try, I'll be a much better dad this time."

Tyler looked up at him again with tear-filled eyes. Truth be told, he missed him, too, and he wanted to forgive him and start over. He'd always thought he was better off without Lou; he'd always hated him for leaving him. Now, he was starting to question these feelings. Maybe he could forgive his father after all? Maybe he could give him another chance?

He was just opening his mouth, about to say something, when the fishing rod in his hands started shaking. He almost lost his balance and let it pull him down into the water, but Lou placed his hands on his and, together, they held it tightly and, with a lot of effort, pulled it out of the water. Both almost fell back onto the sand as the rod flew out of the water, carrying a carp with it.

"There you go!" Lou praised him with a laugh as he grabbed the fish and placed it in the bucket. "And you said you don't remember how to fish. Bullshit."

Tyler smiled proudly to himself as Lou ruffled his brunette hair. It was the first time since he'd arrived at Vegas that he had a real, happy smile on his face and the happy sparkle returned to his green-gray eyes.

* * *

><p>As they walked into his and Catherine's house, Lou did something that just a few days ago he'd still thought he'd never have the chance to do: he wrapped his arm around Tyler's shoulder, and surprisingly, Tyler didn't move away, but just smiled.<p>

"Lou, where have you been?" Catherine burst into the hallway with Meredith following behind. "We were worried sick. You just disappeared."

"Oh, we just… hung around a little bit," Lou replied, winking at Tyler, who smiled up at him.

Meredith looked at Lou suspiciously before bending down to Tyler's height and cupping his face with her hands, checking for any bruises. "Honey, are you okay?"

"Yeah," he replied with a radiant smile on his face and held up the bucket full of fish. "We brought lunch."

While Catherine was making lunch in the kitchen, deciding to give the three some time alone to talk, Lou, Tyler, and Meredith sat in the living room and did exactly that: talked. Until a certain blonde burst through the front door, threw her school bag on the floor in the hallway, and ran into the living room. She didn't even notice the guests as she jumped onto the couch and turned on the TV.

"Dad, let's play," she exclaimed, handing a stunned Lou his usual remote.

"'Dad?'" Meredith repeated the girl's word with a raised eyebrow.

Lou gulped and cleared his throat nervously before saying, "Hey, Linds, um… this is Tyler." He motioned to his confused son and the blonde turned her head briefly to look at him before turning back to the TV. Lou continued, "He also likes video games. Why don't you play with him for a bit?"

She shrugged in response and handed Tyler Lou's remote as Lou led Meredith out of the living room. Before they left, he heard Lindsey ask, "You're my dad's son, right?"

"Who the hell is that?" Meredith whispered loudly with a deadly look in her eyes once they were out of the kids' sight.

"Don't freak out," Lou said, holding his hands in front of him as though defending himself fro his ex-wife. "She's my daughter."

"Your daughter? We've been divorced for two years!" When Lou looked down and, again, cleared his throat nervously, her eyes widened and she arched her eyebrows at him. "Oh." She had this killer look in her eyes and Lou was afraid that if he looked at her face, he would burn to death.

"You cheated on me," she said in more of a statement than a question. His silence told her she was right. "How old is she?"

"Ten," Lou answered.

Before Meredith had the chance to reply, Catherine showed up asking, "Hey, what's going on?"

Meredith turned her head sharply in the direction of Catherine, startling the strawberry-blonde. "You slept with my husband!"

Catherine looked at her wide eyed, confusion written all over her face, before turning to look at Lou, looking for an explanation.

"She knows about Lindsey," Lou mumbled.

"Oh…"

"You knew her ten years ago. You had a daughter all this time and you didn't tell me!"

"Meredith, that wasn't his fault," Catherine defended him. "He found out only after you guys got divorced." She sighed and continued, "Look, I pushed him into sleeping with me back then-"

"Catherine…"

"No," she cut Lou off. "I… I used to be an exotic dancer," she said confidentially with her head high, causing Meredith to raise her eye brow, "and he happened to visit in my club once. Not by choice," she added quickly before Meredith could snap again. "He didn't even want me to dance for him. I'm sorry; I didn't know he was married."

Meredith looked between them for a bit before stating, "I'm taking Tyler and going home."

"What?" Lou said. "No, you can't do that. We just started getting along; you can't take him away again."

"You cheated on me!"

"Yeah, but you're divorced now," Catherine said, more firmly this time, "so deal with it. You have no reason to stop him from seeing his son this time."

The brunette, however, ignored Catherine's words, turned around, and stormed toward the living room, Catherine and Lou following suit. Nevertheless, she stopped in her tracks as she saw the two kids playing together. They looked happy together and they were having fun. It wasn't fair to involve them in the adults' problems.

As she turned back to face Catherin and Lou, her gaze was softer and she asked quietly and sadly, "Did you ever actually love me?"

"I did," Lou answered quietly. "But we're over now, and we can either hurt each other or just be happy and move on with our lives."

* * *

><p>Catherine changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed, instantly cuddling up to Lou, who wrapped his arms around her small body and pulled her closer to his strong one.<p>

Meredith and Tyler had stayed for lunch and left earlier for the hotel they were staying in; they had decided it was better than staying at Catherine and Lou's. They had promised to visit the next day, though, and Lou had promised Tyler to show him around Vegas. They were both thrilled to give another chance to their relationship.

"Thank you," Lou said just as Catherine closed her eyes. She opened them, raised her head, and looked at him with a questioning expression. "For making this happen," he added. "I don't know what I would've done without you."

She smiled softly and stroked his cheek. "I'm glad I could help," she said before leaning down and kissing his lips softly, and then settled back against his chest. "Long day, huh?"

"Oh, yeah."

They both chuckled before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Please tell me what you think and I promise to update soon. Reviews motivate me ;)<strong>

**-Zohar.**


	5. Pregnancy

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

**A/N: Guys, I'm back! And guess what today is! IT'S MY FIRST ANNIVERSARY WITH FANFICTION, WOOHOO! :D So, since it's our anniversary, I had to update something today. I also wanted to update Danger, but I think it's gonna take me a little bit longer.  
>I think we've all had enough of LouTyler/Meredith, so this chapter is all about Catherine's pregnancy.  
>Enjoy! (: <strong>

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><p><strong>Pregnancy<strong>

It had been a couple of weeks since Meredith and Tyler had visited in Las Vegas. After spending some time with Lou, they'd gone back home, promising to stay in touch. The relationship between Lou and Tyler had improved and Meredith had promised to let them meet whenever possible.

A couple of weeks later, Catherine and Lindsey got home from the grocery with hands full of shopping bags.

"Are we starving to death?" Lou asked as the two walked into the kitchen and dropped the bags on the breakfast bar with a heavy sigh. He earned a death glare from Catherine in response.

"She's crazy," Lindsey commented. "She bought, like, everything she saw; literally everything. Look," she said as she pulled out a jar of pickles, "she even bought pickles."

Lou frowned as he took the jar from his daughter's hand. "But you don't even like pickles."

"I don't know." Catherine shrugged. "I was just craving pickles all of a sudden. Pickles with chocolate," she added, licking her lips.

"Told you," Lindsey whispered, "crazy."

"Well, you guys put everything away; I'm going to get ready for work and then we'll leave together," she told Lou while walking upstairs, and just before she disappeared into the hallway, she called, "And don't forget we have a doctor appointment after shift."

* * *

><p>"Looks like strangulation," Nick said as he crouched beside the body in the middle of the darkened room, which was his and Catherine's crime scene. When he didn't get any response from the strawberry-blonde behind him, he turned around to see her pale and taking deep breaths. "You okay?"<p>

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied between deep breaths. "I just… I just need to… to…" Before she could finish her sentence, she felt her stomach doing flips and everything she had had for dinner coming up. She couldn't say another word as she practically ran out of the house and into the garden. She placed her hand on the closest tree for balance as she let all her stomach content out of her mouth.

When she had finally finished vomiting, she looked up and was embarrassed beyond belief to see the police officer guarding the house watching her with concern on his face. Until now, only Lou and Lindsey had seen her throw up and she wanted it to stay this way. Apparently, pregnancy wasn't something she could keep in private for so long. Before she could say anything, explain herself, she felt another wave of nausea coursing through her body and threw up all over again.

"Hey, Cath, you okay?" This time, she felt Nick's strong hand rubbing her back, and straightened up.

"Yeah, I think it's just a virus," she said groggily. She couldn't tell him the reason as to why she was vomiting; she didn't want him – or anybody – to know she was pregnant. Not yet anyway.

She was already beginning to show a little bit, but people had yet to notice. She still had some time and she was going to use this time. She knew that her co-workers would be upset if they found out, but she also knew that sitting in the office and doing paper work wasn't her job; her job was on the field – it was solving murders – and she wasn't going to give it up so quickly.

So, she just wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and painted on a small smile to reassure Nick she was indeed alright. However, Nick's worried face told her he wasn't buying it.

"Why don't you go home, get some rest?" he suggested.

She attempted to glare at him to let him know she dreaded the idea, but was overwhelmed with another wave of nausea. As she finished vomiting for the third time that night, she looked up at her friend with weak, pleading eyes. The pregnancy won and she was going to give up.

He just nodded with a warm smile and said, "Go ahead, I'll cover for you."

"Thanks, Nicky," she said weakly, attempting to smile at the Texan, and started heading toward her car. Nevertheless, she didn't go home. She knew that going home wouldn't make her feel any differently, so she wanted to, at least, feel useful, and so, she returned to the lab.

As she entered the break room, she was welcome by Sara, who was standing by the coffee machine.

"Hey." The brunette turned her head and smiled at Catherine. "Coffee?"

"Um, no," she answered and headed toward the counter. "I'll just… I'll just have some tea."

"Since when do you drink tea?" Sara frowned, earning a shrug from the strawberry-blonde.

"I like tea."

* * *

><p>"Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" Lou asked, holding his girlfriend's hand as she lay on the bed in the doctor's office and watched as the doctor rubbed the green jell on her slightly rounded abdomen.<p>

"It's too early to tell," the smiling doctor said before Catherine could reply.

Lou was just about to say something when the sound of heartbeats started filling the room. Both he and Catherine turned their heads to the monitor, where they saw the small palms and feet.

Catherine's eyes filled with tears and she squeezed Lou's hand as she looked up at him with a radiant smile and whispered, "That's our baby."

Lou, however, couldn't reply. He was too overwhelmed by the little life growing inside his girlfriend. It suddenly became so real, now that he could actually see and hear his baby. The tears in his throat made it impossible for him to speak, so he just smiled back and leaned down to kiss Catherine's forehead.

"Your baby's heartbeats are very strong and steady and it looks like it's doing just fine," the doctor assured the couple, drawing the attention back to her. "Would you like me to scan the ultrasound photos for you?"

"Yes, please." Catherine nodded.

The doctor nodded before handing her a box of tissues and leaving the room. Catherine wiped the jell off her abdomen before standing up and putting her jeans back on.

"You okay?" she asked as she finished getting dressed. Lou was quiet for far too long and he still had the same shocked expression on his face, and she started worrying something was wrong. Maybe he didn't want this baby after all?

However, all her worries faded away as a smile slowly appeared on his lips and he turned to face her. "Yeah," he said. "It's just… it's amazing."

"I know," she answered with a smile just as big as his and took his hand in hers, placing it on her small bump. "And it's ours. It's our baby."

Lou's smile grew wider as he started stroking her stomach softly, her hand covering his. They stayed that way for a few more minutes until the doctor came back into the room with the photos. They scheduled another appointment before going home, the radiant smiles never leaving their faces.

That night, at the beginning of the shift, Catherine walked into the break room to find all her team members already sitting there.

"What are you all doing here?" she asked as she dropped her bag on the table and walked straight to the counter to make herself tea, which had become her usual drink since she had found out she was pregnant.

"Waiting for Grissom to hand out assignment," Warrick answered while flipping through a magazine.

She nodded and started making tea just as Grissom walked into the room with a bunch of papers in his hand.

"Sara and Nick," he started, handing Nick one of the papers, "you have a 4-19 at the Palermo. Catherine," he continued, "you're coming with me; a double homicide on the Strip. And Warrick, you're working solo tonight."

"Cool, what did I get?" Warrick asked.

"Husband found his dead wife on their bed with another man."

"Oooh," Warrick commented with a smirk as he reached for Grissom to take the piece of paper from his hand. His hand accidently hit Catherine's bag and caused it to fall off the table and all the contents to spill onto the floor.

"Oops," he said as he knelt down to pick the bag up. However, he froze when he saw the five black and white photos on the floor, and picked them up, holding them up for the rest of the team to see. "Uh, guys…"

Grissom raised his eyebrow as he saw the photos, and turned his gaze to Catherine, who was standing by the counter, completely oblivious the occurrence, and drinking her tea. "Catherine?"

"Hmm?" She too another sip of her tea before turning around to see all her co-workers staring at her with shocked expressions. Confusion flashed across her face for a second, but then she froze and her eyes widened as she saw Warrick holding up the scan photos for her to see.

She stood there speechlessly for a couple of minutes, looking at her shocked, silent co-workers. Neither knew what to say or do. The corner of her lips twitched into a half smile, which almost looked as though she was silently begging for forgiveness and understanding as she realized the time to tell her friends about to secret she was carrying in her stomach had finally come. Now she could only hope they would understand her and let it go.

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><p><strong>Please tell me what you think! I love to hear your opinions :D<strong>

**Thanks for reading, and I promise to update soon.**

**-Zohar.**


	6. I'm Pregnant

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

**A/N: I had some free time on my hands so I thought I'd give you guys another chapter. This one is mostly VCR (:**

* * *

><p><strong>I'm Pregnant<strong>

"What is that supposed to be?" Sara was the first one to break the silence.

Catherine bit her lower lip slightly as everyone looked at her in anticipation to know what she was hiding. It was time to let it out. She knew she couldn't lie to them, after all they were a group of criminalists; they knew when someone was lying. And so she drew in a breath before saying, "Well, um… I'm pregnant."

"You're what?"

"How?"

"Since when?"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

The questions started flying around the room and Catherine had to practically shout to get everyone to be quiet again. When silence finally took over again, she said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but this was the kind of reaction I was dreading."

"Catherine, we're your friends," Sara said, not even trying to hide the hurt in her voice, which only made Catherine feel worse, but she knew she deserved it.

"I know, and it has nothing to do with that," she said. "Because you're my friends, I knew you'd try to help me all the time and wouldn't think I was capable of doing my job, and I am."

"We would never do that if you told us not to, Catherine," Nick said, "but you shouldn't have kept this pregnancy a secret."

"Yeah," Warrick agreed. "How long where you planning on hiding it? You would've had to tell us eventually."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I underestimated you and I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but at least you know now."

"How far along are you?" Grissom, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly questioned, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"Five months," Catherine answered.

"Who's the father?" he asked, causing her eyes to widen.

"It's Lou!" The room went uncomfortably quiet again for a couple of minutes, and then Catherine decided to break the silence. "Look, guys, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I can't change that now, can I? So, please, just try to understand me and don't be upset with me."

"Hey, I'm happy for you," Warrick said, resting his hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, 'Rick," she said with a smile as he pulled her into a hug, and when they pulled apart, she said, more cheerfully, "Well, we got work to do." She picked up her bag from the floor and headed out of the room. "See you guys later."

Everyone stayed quiet before Grissom followed Catherine out of the room and Warrick finally said, "That explains a lot."

"Yeah," Nick agreed, "the vomiting."

"The tea," Sara added.

"The mood swings," Warrick said. "How did we not notice? I mean, we're all trained to observe these things."

"Guess we should all get fired then," Sara said with a sigh.

* * *

><p>When shift was finally over, Catherine returned home. After dumping her bag, hanging her jacket, and discarding her shoes, she walked into the living room, pleased to find Lou already sitting there on the couch in front of the TV.<p>

"Hey, when did you get home?" she asked with a smile as she flopped down on the couch beside him.

"A few minutes ago," he replied, resting his hand on her leg. "How was work?"

She sighed heavily and said, "Remind me not to wear heels for work again."

He chuckled and took her feet in his hands, placed them in his lap, and started rubbing them, and she, in turn, threw her head back, closed her eyes, and sighed in satisfaction.

"I told everyone about the pregnancy today," she said after a few minutes of silence. She opened her eyes when she felt that Lou's hands had ceased to rub her feet, and looked up at him.

"How did they react?" he asked.

"They were shocked at first, kind of upset with me for not telling them. But I think they're okay with it now."

"And how do you feel about it?"

"Honestly? I'm glad I told them," she answered. "It's been really hard hiding it from them and they're my friends. At least now I don't need to keep this a secret. You know," she said, sitting up and wrapping her arms around his neck, "I haven't been this happy in a very long time."

"You're happy because you told them" He couldn't help but smile as he saw the beautiful smile on her lips. Her smile was, by far, the most beautiful smile he has ever seen.

"Also," she replied, "but I'm happy about everything. Everything is going so great: the pregnancy, us, Lindsey. Just a year ago, I hadn't thought I would have the life I have now."

"I'm happy, too," he said, pulling her into a hug. She sighed happily as she buried her face in his neck and sniffed his scent, and he rubbed her back until she finally pulled her head back and looked at him. He placed his hand on the back of her head and brushed his fingers along her soft, strawberry-blonde hair, bringing her face closer to his until their lips finally met in a tender kiss. The kiss, however, slowly turned more heated and Catherine's tongue darted out slightly and caressed Lou's lips, which he parted willingly, inviting her eager tongue to dance with his and eliciting soft moans from both of them.

When the need for air became too great, they broke apart and, breathing deeply, Catherine played with the collar of Lou's shirt as she said with a sultry voice, "You know, we still have an hour before we need to wake Lindsey for school."

Getting the hint, a smirk slowly appeared on Lou's lips as she straddled him and pressed her lips to his once again. His hands slowly disappeared under her shirt, his fingertips dancing along her spine, causing her to moan softly against his lips. He pulled his hands out, grabbed the hem of her shirt, and pulled it up, reluctantly breaking the kiss to pull it over her head, leaving her clad in a lacy, purple bra.

As his lips left hers and latched onto her neck, Catherine's trembling fingers started working the buttons on his shirt. When all the buttons were finally undone, she ran her hands up his exposed chest, over his strong shoulders, and down his arms, taking the shirt down along the way. She threw it on the floor and he grabbed her hips gently, easily flipping them so she was lay beneath him, her head resting on the arm of the couch.

Her deep, blue eyes stared up into his and he saw in them exactly what she saw in his: pure love and devotion. Her eyes fluttered closed when his lips crashed onto hers, causing her to whimper as the kiss ignited sparkles of arousal all over her body. The pregnancy and the hormones were making every little touch send vibrations of pleasure throughout her body. She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew his body closer to her, deepening the kiss.

Her hands started wandering down his muscular back until they reached the waistband of his trousers. She tugged on it a couple of times until he took the hint, got off the couch, and stood up. Her eyes burned with desire as she looked up at him and watched him take off the rest of his clothes until he was completely naked before her. She licked her suddenly dry lips in anticipation as he crawled back onto the couch. He undid the button and zipper on her jeans and she lifted her butt, allowing him to take them off along with her panties.

Her head fell backwards and a guttural moan left her lips as she felt his breath on her clit, following by his lips. He pursed his lips around the swollen bud and began sucking gently, causing her body to tremble slightly. Her right hand gripped tightly onto one of the couch cushions, whereas her left one gripped onto his hair. She didn't care how hard she was pulling it; she was too lost in pleasure. Her eyes were shut tightly, her lips parted with moans of pleasure escaping them, and her back was arched. She was in ecstasy. And when Lou inserted two fingers into her hot, wet core and started curling them inside her, she lost it. Her body started shaking and her fingers tightened around his hair and the cushions as a mind blowing orgasm ripped through her body, causing her to practically scream Lou's name, forgetting about the slumbering child upstairs.

Lou finished lapping up her juices before slithering up her body with a self-satisfied smile until his face was level with hers. He gasped at how beautiful she was: her usually blue and sparkly eyes were now dark and full of lust, her cheeks were red from arousal, and she was trying to calm her heavy, rushed breathing.

He claimed her mouth with his own and she moaned loudly into the kiss as she tasted herself on his tongue. She completely melted into the kiss as Lou's tongue played with hers – stroking, swirling, and dueling – and the warmth of his mouth made her cheeks redden even more. The feeling of his soft lips and even softer tongue made her even wetter and she was more than ready for him.

Blindly, Lou reached behind her back and unclasped her bra, pulled it down her arms, and threw it to the side. His lips left hers and slowly trailed kisses down her neck, collar bones, and finally breasts. His left hand massaged one of her breasts as his lips latched onto the other one, gently sucking on the already erect nipple, but when he felt her squirm beneath him, he stopped and looked up to see her biting her lip slightly with her eyes shut tightly.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice husky.

"Yeah," she panted, nodding her head slightly. "They're just a bit sensitive."

"Oh, well, we better get to the best part then," he said with a grin as he slithered back up her body and slowly eased his way inside of her with a groan. He was pleased to find her still tight and wet for him.

Their moans and groans of pleasure filled the room as Lou slowly moved inside of Catherine. Every stroke of his manhood inside her sent her to Heaven and she wrapped her arms tightly around his back and clung to him. He groaned when she arched her back, allowing him to slide even deeper within her warm depth.

They might have started with a slow, sensual pace, but soon they were both racing toward release, clinging onto each other. Catherine's nails sank into the flash of Lou's sweaty back as she felt the pleasure building up inside her, and a few more pumps of his cock and she was there. She cried out his name as her second orgasm washed over her body, sending Lou climaxing with her.

Minutes later, Catherine was still stroking Lou's back as he lay on top of her and hugged her. She loved the closeness she had with him; it always made her feel that there was nothing more powerful than their love for each other, which she knew would never end. However, just as that thought passed through her mind, Lou realized he was still lying on top of her and, out of fear of "crashing" their baby, he rolled off of her. Unfortunately, he forgot they were on the small couch and he landed on the floor with a thud.

Catherine quickly rolled onto her side and looked down at him with wide eyes. "You okay?"

He groaned in response and rubbed his elbow. She couldn't stop the giggle that left her lips, earning a glare from the naked man on the floor.

"You think it's funny?" he snarled at her, but she couldn't stop laughing.

"I'm sorry," she managed to get out between giggles as she joined him on the floor. He couldn't be mad at her when he heard her hearty laugh, and so he wrapped his arms around her small frame as she lay on top of him and snuggled into his strong body, burying her head in his muscled chest.

"God, I'm starving," she murmured into his chest, causing both of them to let out a chuckle.

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><p><strong>There you go, some CathLou bonding time (:**

**Please let me know what you think.**

**-Zohar.**


	7. Hormones and Mood Swings

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

**A/N: Another chapter only about Catherine's pregnancy. Enjoy!  
>WARNING: A chapter full of hormones!<strong>

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><p><strong>Hormones and Mood Swings<strong>

Two months later, Catherine, Lou, and Lindsey were having dinner together. As Lou was filling Catherine's plate with spaghetti, he didn't notice she was shooting death glares at him. Lindsey did notice, however, and whispered, "Dad." He lifted his head and looked at her, saw her motioning with her head to a furious Catherine, and then turned to look at Catherine to see her still glaring at him.

"What?" he questioned, confusion written on his face.

"What?" she repeated him furiously. "Seriously? You seriously don't know?"

He turned his head to look at Lindsey again, hoping she would know the answer, but this time she just shrugged, so he turned back to look at Catherine and asked, "Don't know what? What's wrong?"

"Have you looked at me lately?" she asked and then motioned to her rounded belly. "Look at me."

His confused frown deepened. "What am I supposed to see?"

"I look like a whale!" she exclaimed. "I'm fat and you're just trying to feed me more and more and more. I know what you're trying to do," she said, her voice rising with every word. "You're trying to get me fatter so when the baby is finally born, I won't be able to get back in shape and then you'll leave me because I'll be fat and you'll find someone younger and hotter and I'll be left alone because nobody wants a fat girlfriend!" she finished with a bang of her hands on the table and got up.

"Well, fuck you, Lou!" she stated before storming upstairs, leaving shocked Lou and Lindsey behind.

Lou stayed in the same position for a few more seconds, looking after her shocked, trying to process everything that had just happened in his head, and then turned to Lindsey. "What just happened?"

The blonde just shrugged again, trying to suppress a laugh.

"Start eating, I'll be right back," he said as he put down the spoon he was holding and quickly headed upstairs.

Catherine was sitting on the edge of her and Lou's bed with her head in her hands, taking deep breaths to calm her hormones, when she heard a knock on the door.

"Cath?" she heard Lou's voice outside the door but didn't respond. She knew she was being a bitch to him and she knew that he didn't deserve it. He did nothing wrong, but the hormones were currently having full control of her brain and she couldn't control her actions nor reactions.

"Cath, I'm coming in, okay?" she heard his voice again and then the door opened just a crack and his head poked into the room. When he saw her slumped figure on the edge of the bed, Lou opened the door wider and stepped inside, warily sitting down beside her.

He was still quite scared that she would snap at him again, but when she rested her head on his shoulder with a heavy sigh, he knew she had calmed down and was regretting the way she had behaved toward him. Not that it bothered him; he was already used to her wild hormones. Right now, he knew she was just seeking comfort.

Sensing she needed to feel he indeed forgave her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulled her closer to his body, and stroked her golden hair.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "You must think I'm a crazy bitch now."

"Yeah, well, what else is new?" he joked, but regretted it immediately when he realized that she, apparently, didn't find it funny and hit him on the chest. He knew she wasn't mad, though.

"I made a complete fool out of myself." She sighed again.

"It's okay," he assured her. "It was just me and Lindsey there."

"It's the hormones," she explained. "I have no control over them." The tears in her throat were almost choking her and making it impossible for her to add another word. That was another thing she hated about the pregnancy and the hormones: she hated crying, especially around other people, and now, with the pregnancy, she would cry almost daily.

"It's okay, we're used to it," Lou said with a smile, earning another, playful smack on his chest. He squeezed Catherine's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her before pulling away. "You ready to come back down and eat with us?"

"In a minute," she said. "You go ahead; I just need to calm down first."

"Okay," he said before kissing her head and getting up. He made his way toward the door and just when he was about to leave the room, he turned around and said, "And just for the record, you're beautiful."

Catherine flashed him a warm, thankful smile and he left the room and went back downstairs.

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><p>Catherine's body tensed slightly as the doctor rubbed the cold gel on her rounded stomach, but as the familiar sound of heartbeats filled the room and the little body appeared on the monitor, she let her body relax and a soft smile appeared on her face.<p>

"The heartbeats are strong and steady and your baby seems to be very healthy," the doctor said with a smile. "Would you like to know the sex?"

Catherine had to sniff back the tears that were threatening to come out, before looking up at Lou. They both exchanged a look to confirm they were both agreeing on the same decision, and then Catherine turned her head back to look at the doctor and nodded. "Yes, please."

"Well, I'm happy to inform you that you're having a boy," the doctor stated.

After hearing those words leaving the doctor's lips, Catherine was too overwhelmed to speak. She felt as if her heart had exploded of joy and it was making it impossible for her to speak. So Lou was the one to say, "A boy?"

The doctor nodded with a smile and Catherine looked up at Lou with watery eyes. "We're having a boy," she whispered, squeezing his hand, and he, in turn, bent down and kissed her forehead.

After the doctor left the room, Catherine wiped the gel off her belly and Lou helped her stand up and handed her jeans to her.

"You okay?" he asked after she redressed herself. She was quiet for too long and he feared that perhaps she was unhappy with the baby's sex. However, he needn't of worries when she turned to face him with tears still in her eyes and smiled her million dollar smile, which he always referred to as "a Catherine smile."

"I'm more than okay," she said, leaning up and wrapping her arms around his neck, and he, in turn, wrapped his arms around her waist. It made him smile to feel her pregnant bump pressing against his stomach.

"I'm so happy," she whispered against his neck.

"Me, too." He placed his hand on the back of her head and tilted it backwards slightly so his lips could meet hers. The kiss was gentle and tender, just lips touching softly, but it was full of love and promises of a good, happy future, and they could both feel the little sparkles the connection was creating on their lips. Apparently, the baby could also feel the love connection and Lou could feel the little kick against his stomach, which caused the two to break apart.

"I guess the baby doesn't like when Daddy touches Mommy," Catherine teased with a chuckle, but Lou just wrapped his arms tighter around her body.

"Well, he's gonna have to deal with it," he said, "because Daddy loves touching his Mommy." He bent down and pulled her shirt up a little before placing a few kisses on her bare, rounded stomach, causing her to break out into a wider smile and stroke his hair.

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><p>Lou smiled as he walked into the bedroom and saw Catherine lying on her back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Sensing he was in the room, she asked, "Has Lindsey gone to school?" not particularly interested in the answer.<p>

"Yep," he replied as he flopped beside her on the bed, instantly placing a hand on her stomach and caressing softly. When he noticed her gloomy face, though, concern started showing on his own face. "What's wrong?"

She sighed. "What if I'm going to ruin this baby's life?"

"Excuse me?" He raised his eyebrows.

"I mean, look at how Lindsey and I always were," she said. "I work nights, I barely get the chance to spend quality time with her, my job takes over my entire life. What if I won't be involved enough in the baby's life?"

Lou could sense the worry and sadness in her voice and it made him feel bad that she felt like she wasn't going to be a good enough mother to their new baby. So he propped up on his elbow and gently stroked her bump as he said, "Lindsey understands the complications in having your job and she loves you. You're a great mother and you'll be a great mother to this baby, too."

As she turned her head to look at him, he saw the tears of fear in her eyes and gave her a warm, reassuring smile while stroking her cheek softly. "You think?" she whispered.

"I'm sure," he replied. "And besides, I can't wait to stand next to you while you give birth to our child. At least I'll get to be with you this time."

He immediately regretted saying those words when he earned a punch to the arm and the words "you're an ass" left Catherine's mouth. She couldn't believe he had actually mentioned it. It had been nearly a year since they last talked about the whole mess with Lou finding out Lindsey was his after Catherine had kept it a secret from him. Things were good between them and the three of them were finally a happy family, and none of them bothered to mention the past; they just moved on with their lives. So that was why she was so pissed when he mentioned it again.

She got out of bed and started walking toward the door when Lou reached for her and grabbed her arm, making her turn back to face her.

"Cath, wait, I'm sorry," he said. "You know I didn't mean it."

"Yeah? So what did you mean?" she questioned, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

He felt like if he looked into her eyes at that moment, her deadly glare would kill him, so he tried to look at anything but her face as he said, "I just meant that I want to be by your side when you give birth to our child, see the baby the second he comes out of you. I'm sorry," he continued. "It just came out all wrong."

His sweet words made her gaze soften a little and she couldn't stay mad at him for much longer, but she still wouldn't give up. "Well, you really shouldn't have brought this up. You know how bad that makes me feel," she said sternly.

"I know." He ran his hand up and down her arm, finally daring to look up into her eyes. "And I'm sorry. I won't mention it again."

A small smile appeared on her face as she quietly said, "And it won't really be a beautiful sight when the baby comes out of me."

"It will be beautiful because it's our baby and it's you he's gonna come out of," Lou said softly, a genuine smile gracing his lips, as he wrapped his arms around her, pulled her closer to the bed, and placed a few kisses on her rounded belly. This time, she did smile down at him and stroked his hair.

"Come here," he mumbled against her stomach as he pulled her down onto the bed and started attacking her neck with kisses, but she pushed him away.

"Get off me," she groaned. "I'm not in the mood." She reached for the lamp on her nightstand and turned it off before rolling on her side.

Lou, too, rolled on his side and spooned her from behind with a sigh. "I hate pregnancies," he murmured.

"You have no right to talk," she said bitterly. "You're not the one carrying a soccer player in your stomach."

"Really?" he asked, placing a hand on her stomach, and she could hear the excitement in his voice. "Does he kick a lot?"

"Oh, yeah."

"That's my boy."

"Shut up."

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><p><strong>I know it took me quite a while to update this story, I've been really busy, so I found some time to give you a new chapter. Hope you like it (:<strong>

**-Zohar.**


	8. Creation of Love

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

**A/N: Well, here's the chapter you've been waiting for, so... enjoy (:**

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><p><strong>Creation of Love<strong>

"…And then I told her that I didn't wanna go so she told me that Brandon was gonna be there… like I care. Anyway, she told Brandon I like him, even though I so don't, and now he thinks that I don't wanna go to the party because of him. Mom? Are you even listening?"

Usually, Catherine loved spending her mornings with Lindsey, listening to her telling about school and friends, especially these days that she was nine months pregnant and had to stay at home instead of going to work. She didn't like the idea at first, but she was happy to have a chance to spend more time with her daughter. This morning, however, she was not in the mood for listening to the 10-year-old rants about school and "relationships," as she called it. She had been in pain all night and all morning, she was extremely tired, and Lou wasn't there to help her since he was pulling a double at work.

"I'm sorry, Lindsey, I'm not feeling well." She sighed as she moved the pancakes from the pan to a plate and placed it in front of Lindsey on the breakfast bar.

The girl observed the pancakes for a moment and then looked up at her mother with a questioning expression.

"What?" Catherine asked.

"Where are the chocolate chips?" Lindsey questioned disappointedly, causing Catherine to sigh heavily.

"I'm sorry, Linds, I forgot."

"You forgot? But I always eat my pancakes with chocolate chips!"

"Yeah, well, not this morning," Catherine replied, more harshly than she had meant. "Are you going to eat these pancakes or do I need to throw them away?"

"Jeez…" the girl mumbled quietly as she looked back down at her plate, grabbed the chocolate syrup bottle, and started pouring it onto the pile of pancakes. "No need to go all pissed at me."

"I'm sorry," Catherine said for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning, and sighed again. "I'm just…" Before she could finish her sentence, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach and leaned forward with a loud wince.

"Mom, you okay?" Lindsey asked, mouthful of pancake, and quickly swallowed, jumping down from her stool and over to her mom with concern showing all over her face.

"Yeah, yeah," Catherine barely managed out. "Just keep eating. I'm fine." She winced again.

She knew something was wrong. She'd been in pain all night, but it wasn't as sharp and strong as it was now. Nevertheless, she didn't want to scare her daughter, nor worry her, and so she acted as if everything was fine - or at least attempted to. She straightened up and walked over to the counter, leaning on it in case her suddenly weak legs would give out beneath her, and taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm the unbearable pain coursing through her stomach and her whole body. When another wave came, however, she couldn't help the small yelp that left her mouth and made Lindsey run over to her, more worried than before.

"Mom, I'm calling Dad."

She didn't wait for her mother's approval – and Catherine didn't seem to be objecting – before she ran over to the phone and started dialing.

"Vartann," Lou answered after the second beep.

"Dad," he suddenly heard his daughter's voice and straightened up in his chair.

"Lindsey?"

"Dad, you need to come home," she said hurriedly.

Alerted, he got up with a concerned expression and asked, "Why, what's wrong?"

"Mom's in pain. I think something's wrong with the baby." He could hear the fear and worry in her voice and started to panic a little bit himself. What if something was, indeed wrong with the baby? Catherine wasn't due in at least two more weeks.

They had all been so happy and excited about the baby; Lou and Lindsey had even turned the spare room into a nursery and decorated it. He remembered how one Sunday, he and Lindsey had decided to surprise Catherine and paint all the walls in the nursery light blue. The surprise, however, was ruined when Catherine walked into the room and found them both having a "paint fight." They didn't notice her until a generous amount of light blue paint was accidently splashed all over her chest and baby bump. At first, they all stood frozen, both Lou and Lindsey fearing Catherine's hormonal reaction, but when Lindsey suddenly started giggling uncontrollably, neither Catherine nor Lou could keep it inside anymore and started laughing as well. The three of them had spent the following thirty minutes painting each other more than the walls.

Lou's face turned slightly white as the thought of losing this baby passed in his mind.

"I'm on my way," he said down the phone, not waiting for Lindsey's response before hanging up, grabbing his jacket, and rushing out of his office in the flash of a light.

"Catherine?" he called the second he walked through the front door, and was welcome by Lindsey.

"She's upstairs, in bed," the girl informed him and he saw the look of concern and slight fear on her face. He wanted to calm her and tell her that everything would be okay, that it was probably nothing serious, but right now Catherine and the baby were his first priority, and so he dropped his brief case on the floor and rushed upstairs.

He knew he was probably acting silly and he'd find out soon that Catherine and the baby were fine, but his heart was racing with every step he made and all the worst scenarios were flashing through his head. However, when he reached their bedroom door, he stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath. He knew he needed to be calm for Catherine; she was probably even more terrified, and showing her how nervous and panicked he was wouldn't make her feel any better; only worse.

He took another deep breath to calm his nerves before opening the door. He found her on the bed, lying on her back, her eyes squeezed shut, her upper teeth biting down on her bottom lip, and her hands planted firmly on her rounded stomach as if trying to sop the pain.

"Cath?" he said as he walked over to her and sat down beside her on the edge of the bed, removing one of her hands from her stomach and taking it into his. His big hand felt warm wrapped around her small one and she let her tensed up body relax slightly.

Her eyes finally opened and Lou could see the tears filling them. "It hurts," she whispered, unable to find her voice. The pain was distracting her too much.

"Come on," he said as he gently grabbd her shoulders eased her to sit up. "I'm taking you to the hospital."

"Wait, what about Lindsey?" she asked as he started pulling her out of bed.

"I'll call your mom to stay with her."

He wrapped his arm around her waist and was trying to help her get up when, suddenly, her eyes widened. "What is it?" he asked, worry written all over his face.

"My water just broke."

Both their eyes wandered down to find a wet patch on the bottom of Catherine's sweat pants and on the bed beneath her. They remained silent for a few seconds, the shock making it impossible for them to think coherently, let alone form words. That was it. Their baby was about to come out and there was nothing they could do to change it.

Finally, Lou was brought back to reality by the sound of Catherine screaming in pain as another contraction hit her. "Are you having the baby now?" he asked. He knew it was a stupid question to ask - and her glare confirmed it - but he was too shocked and nervous to even care.

"Yes!" Catherine snapped at him. Again, she screamed in pain and grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly.

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><p>"I hate you!" Catherine screamed at the top of her voice as she pushed once again, her face already red and sweaty and her hair stuck to it, and squeezed Lou's hand so hard, he was sure it would break.<p>

However, he hid the pain and focused on her statement. "What? Me? Why?"

"Because you got me pregnant!" she exclaimed, her eyes squeezing shut as she had to push again. When they finally opened, she added, "We are never having sex again! Ever!"

Slightly terrified, he looked over at the doctor, who was pulling the baby out, and she only shook her head with a small, reassuring smile to let him know it was okay and Catherine didn't really mean what she was saying.

"Okay, Catherine," she said. "You ready for one more push?"

"Do I have a choice?" Catherine snapped at her and screamed at the top of her voice as she pushed her hardest while digging her nails into Lou's palm.

Suddenly, the sound of her screams mixed with the sound of crying and she realized that the baby, which had been inside of her for the past nine months, was no longer there. He was out. She plopped back on the bed, her face red and sweaty, her hair messy, and her breathing heavy. Her face was rising and sinking rapidly as she tried to calm her breath.

"You did it, baby!" Lou exclaimed as he bent down to kiss her forehead, not at all bothered by the sweat, and she just smiled dozily up at him.

"Would you like to hold your son?" the doctor asked with a smile after washing the little infant and wrapping him in a blue blanket.

Catherine's head shot up from the pillow and the tears in her throat were almost stopping her from whispering, "Yes, please."

Lou sat down beside her on the bed and stroked her golden, sweaty hair softly as the doctor walked over to them and placed the little baby in Catherine's arms. Both their hearts stopped beating and their breath caught in their throat as they had their first glimpse of their newborn child.

It didn't take long for the tears to start pouring down Catherine's cheeks uncontrollably, and even Lou shed a tear or two. They stared down at their new son and were absolutely speechless.

"He's beautiful," Lou finally whispered.

"He is," Catherine whispered, a tear leaving her eye and dropping on the blue blanket the baby was wrapped in, and ran a finger down the infant's little cheek. He had black hair and bright, green eyes and Catherine could see Lou in those eyes, which only made her love both of them even more. "He looks like you."

"No, I just said he looks beautiful," Lou joked, earning a playful hit to his chest by Catherine's elbow, and laughed lightly. "He's got your nose," he added, running a finger down the baby's small nose and causing him to stir slightly and his little fingers to wrap around Lou's big one.

"We need a name," Catherine murmured, her finger never ceasing to caress the baby's little cheek. She was completely overwhelmed and mesmerized by the little bundle of love and joy in her arms, she didn't even bother looking up at Lou when she said those words. The baby was getting her full attention.

"How about Dylan?" Lou suggested.

This time, she did turn her head to look at him for a second and then turned back to the baby. "Dylan Vartann," she whispered. The baby looked up at her with big eyes and, once again, squeezed Lou's finger, which was currently resting on top of his hand, with his small fingers. "I think he likes it," she whispered.

She turned her head back again and her lips found Lou in a lingering kiss. "Thank you," she whispered against his lips.

He pulled back slightly and looked at her face. "What for?"

"For giving me this beautiful gift," she answered, her eyes sparkling with happiness and tears.

They kept sitting in silence, cuddled up together, and looking down at their new baby, completely mesmerized by the amazing life they had both created together. This baby was an outcome of their special connection and pure love for each other.

Nevertheless, their comfortable silence was broken by the sound of the baby crying. Their peaceful expressions were replaced by somewhat panic. They had both had babies once and both knew what to do and how to deal with a baby crying, but suddenly it seemed as though they had forgotten everything and were facing an electronic device with no buttons nor manual.

"I think he's hungry," Lou offered.

"Are you hungry, Dylan?" Catherine asked softly while unbuttoning some of the buttons on her hospital gown, exposing one of her breasts to the baby in her arms. However, Dylan wouldn't latch onto the nipple, even when she tried to push it into his mouth. He just kept crying.

"I don't know what to do!" She panicked, starting to cry as well. "He won't eat."

"Hey, buddy, don't you want to eat?" Lou offered his help, also frustrated by the baby's unstoppable crying.

"I don't get it," Catherine said desperately. "It was so much easier with Lindsey. She would just latch."

"Okay, bend over a little bit," Lou finally said, earning a quizzical look from Catherine.

"What?"

"Just do it."

Without further questions, she did as she was told and bent over, and Lou moved to sit behind her with his legs on either side of her body, gently pulling her back against his chest.

"Lou, what are you doing?" she questioned.

"Helping you," he answered as he gently took her breast in his hand and started squeezing her nipple softly. Her eyes widened slightly and she was about to turn around and ask him, again, what he was doing, when suddenly, she noticed he was causing little drops of milk to drop from her nipple into the little mouth of the baby, who wouldn't stop crying.

"Meredith also had trouble feeding Tyler at first," Lou explained, his lips moving against her shoulder as he focused on working the nipple, "so the doctor taught me how to help her. He'll see how good it tastes and want more."

And like he said, Dylan's little lips finally latched onto the nipple and the crying stopped, being replaced by the sound of sucking and the satisfied sigh escaping Catherine's mouth. Lou's fingers left her breast and she turned her head back, smiled radiantly at him, and captured his lips with her own.

"He's eating," she exclaimed happily once they broke apart.

"He sure is," Lou responded mesmerized while staring down at the boy in Catherine's arms as his little lips moved rapidly against her breast, sucking into his stomach all it had to offer.

They kissed once again, tenderly and lovingly, but the kiss broke quickly with an "ow" coming out of Catherine's mouth as the baby in her arms sucked a little too hard on her nipple, biting down with his toothless gingiva, and she turned back to look down at him.

"Hey, don't be too greedy," she said. "Mommy can bite, too, you know."

Lou grinned as he wrapped his arms gently around her. "You like Mommy's breast, don't you?" he said with a grin. "He's got a good taste," he whispered against her ear before placing a kiss on her cheek, causing Catherine to break out into a huge grin.

Smiling softly, she stroked the minimal amount of hair the infant had on his head and both she and Lou watched as he hungrily fed from her breast. They were amazed by the little person they had created with their love for each other, and they couldn't erase the genuinely happy smiles from their faces.

When Dylan's lips finally unlatched from her nipple, Catherine lifted him over her shoulder and both she and Lou gently tapped on his small back until he let out a quiet burp. Afterwards, he returned to his previous position in Catherine's arms, after she had rebuttoned her gown, and she watched as he yawned and his small eyes began to flutter close.

"I don't ever want to let go of him," she whispered and Lou pressed a kiss to her temple in response.

"Neither do I."

After a few minutes of watching their baby sleep peacefully, it was Catherine's turn to yawn and she leaned further against Lou's chest. He stroked her hair softly until her eyes finally fluttered closed and she drifted off to a contented sleep. Lou was planning on getting up and letting her lie properly. She had just given birth and was extremely exhausted, and he wanted her to have a good sleep. However, soon, his eyes started heaving and it didn't take long for him to fall asleep as well, holding the woman he loved with all his heart and the little miracle they had created together.

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><p><strong>Don't forget to review! (:<strong>

**-Zohar.**


	9. Meet Dylan

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

**A/N: Well, this chapter is all about the new baby. Hope you like it, and don't forget to review.**

* * *

><p><strong>Meet Dylan<strong>

"Oh, Catherine, he's so precious," Lily said as she held her new grandson in her arms, watching his face twitching and his little arms trying to reach out for her. She, Catherine, and Lindsey had been sitting on the couch for thirty minutes, taking pleasure in watching the new member of the family.

Catherine and Lou had arrived home from the hospital a day before, bringing their new son home for the first time. His room had already been prepared for him: the walls had been painted light blue – after the little "paint fight" Catherine, Lou, and Lindsey had had while painting them – and glowing stars had been glued to the ceiling; a beautiful, white crib had been set in the room next to a box full of toys and stuffed animals they had bought and received from friends and co-workers; a chest of drawers had been placed in the corner of the room, and the drawers had been filled with small outfits.

Even after seeing Dylan at the hospital, Lindsey had been so excited to finally have him at home. Despite her parents' constant protests and explanations that the newborn baby needed rest, Lindsey had tried to spend every second with him; introducing her dolls to him, making silly faces in an attempt to get him to laugh, and trying to get him to participate in her little games.

The first night with Dylan in the house, Catherine and Lou had fallen into an exhausted sleep almost instantly after colliding with the bed. They had been sleeping cuddled up to one another with genuinely happy grins on their faces. However, their peaceful sleep had been broken an hour later when the unmistakable sound of a crying baby shrilled through the house and the baby monitor that rested on Catherine's nightstand. They had spent the rest of the night rocking the little infant and trying to get him to stop crying and go back to sleep, which only happened at the early hours of the morning, allowing the two parents to finally get some much needed sleep.

Now, nevertheless, sitting with her mother and daughter and seeing the awe in her mother's face as she watched her new grandson, Catherine was beyond happy. When she and Lou had sat together in the hospital and held their new son, she had felt as though her life had been completed, but now, words could not describe how proud she felt.

The comfortable silence in the room was broken when the sound of crying shrilled through the room, causing Lily's calm and happy expression to be replaced, momentarily, by a somewhat panicked one.

"I think someone wants his mommy," the older woman said as she lifted the infant and handed him to his mother, who was already waiting with her arms open and a calm smile on her face.

"Are you hungry?" Catherine cooed as she settled the baby in her arms and unbuttoned her shirt. Unlike the first time she had tried to breastfeed him at the hospital, this time Dylan's little mouth latched immediately onto the exposed nipple and began sucking hungrily.

"Does it hurt?" Lindsey questioned a couple of minutes later, completely mesmerized by the hurried action of her little brother's lips on her mother's breast.

"Just a little bit," Catherine said quietly with a smile as she ran the back of her finger down her son's little cheek. "But it's okay. I just need to get used to it again."

"You," Lily said, stroking her granddaughter's golden hair, "kept torturing her. Right, Catherine?"

"Oh, yeah," Catherine replied with a nod and a small chuckle.

"Really?" Lindsey asked in slight disbelief, her face scrunching up. "I ate from there?"

When Catherine looked up at her daughter, she saw the somewhat disgusted expression on her face and said, "Hey, don't give me that look. You loved it when you were a baby."

"Oh, yes," Lily confirmed. "You were very greedy."

"Does it mean my baby will eat from my boobs, too?" the girl questioned, watching as Dylan placed his little fist on her mother's breast and unlatched his lips from her nipple.

Catherine smiled at her daughter as she lifted the baby over her shoulder and started patting his back gently. "Only if you want to. You can always use a bottle." When Dylan finally let out a small burp, she lay him down in her arms, her expression turning more serious. "But I don't want you having kids until you're, like, 40."

"What, why?"

"Oh, come on, Catherine," Lily interfered. "It's not like you waited so long before you lost your virginity."

"Mom!" Catherine turned her head sharply to look at her mother with a hint of warning in her eyes.

Fortunately, before anyone could add another word and make the situation more awkward and uncomfortable, especially for Catherine, they heard the front door open and, not long after, Lou walked into the living room, carrying a shopping bag.

"Hey," he greeted the three girls, who turned to smile at him, and held up the bag. "I brought diapers."

"Great," Catherine said, "'cause I think he needs changing."

"I got it," he said, taking Dylan out of Catherine's arms and placing a kiss on her lips. "Come on, buddy," he said as he started walking upstairs with Dylan in his arms, leaving the three girls smiling behind.

"I have to say, Catherine," Lily began, "I didn't believe in him at first." She was well aware of the long history of the two – when Catherine had found out she was pregnant with Lindsey, she had panicked and immediately ran to her, telling her about the night she had spent with Lou. Lily was the one who had told her to keep seeing Eddie and tell him the baby was his and, for years, she had been the only one who knew the truth about Lindsey's real father. That was why saying she had been shocked when she had discovered her daughter was dating the real father of her granddaughter was a huge understatement. However, after Lou and Lindsey had discovered the truth, it took them a lot of time, but she had noticed how happy her daughter and granddaughter finally were and had started believing that perhaps things could go right this time and her daughter could finally have the family she'd always wanted. And now, not only did her daughter give her another amazing grandchild, but she was truly happy with her new, completed family, and there were no words to describe how glad Lily was to see her daughter so happy.

"I'm happy for you," she added with a warm smile after a short silence.

* * *

><p>A few days later, Lou had to go back to work. He had talked to Brass and got him to transfer him to day shift so he could spend normal hours with his family and help Catherine with their new baby.<p>

After sending Lindsey to school, Catherine decided to finally pay a visit to the Crime Lab so her co-workers, who had been constantly asking to see her new son, could finally meet him. After packing a bag with everything she thought they needed and fastening Dylan securely in his baby seat in the car, Catherine settled in the driver's seat and drove off in the direction of the Crime Lab.

She knew people would be constantly stopping her and asking to see the new baby, but she didn't realize just how hard it would be to even reach the break room.

The second she walked into the reception area with the pram, Judie, the receptionist, called her name, causing her to stop and turn to face her with a smile.

"Aww, Catherine, he's adorable," Judie cooed as she leaned over her desk, trying to get a good view at the sleeping form of the baby in the pram.

"Thank you, Judie," Catherine replied with a polite smile before proceeding to make her way down the corridors.

Fifteen minutes later, she was finally in the break room, sure that all the lab technicians had seen her baby. She was surprised he hadn't woken up even once since she had arrived at the lab. She knew her friends still had an hour before grave shift was over, so she let herself relax in one of the chairs in the break room with the pram in front of her, enjoying the silence and the sight of her sleeping baby.

Nevertheless, the silence was quickly broken when two of her co-workers entered the room and headed to the counter, not even noticing her as they were engaged in a very heated conversation about the case they were currently working.

"Hey, guys," Catherine said with a smile as she stood up, causing Sara and Warrick to turn around with surprise written all over their faces. She was the last person they were expecting to see at the lab.

"Catherine," Sara was the first one to exclaim before the two walked over to her and hugged her.

"It's good to see you," Warrick exclaimed with a bright smile while patting friendly on her shoulder.

"You, too," she replied with a smile just as big as her friend's.

When the greeting was over, the two finally leaned over the pram, watching with mesmerized smiles as the baby slept soundly.

"Catherine, he's amazing," Sara semi whispered, careful not to wake the slumbering infant.

"He looks like you," Warrick offered, looking up from the pram to smile at his friend.

"No, actually, he looks like Lou," Catherine chuckled slightly. "But thank you."

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><p>After having met all her team co-workers and introducing them to Dylan, who by now had woken up, demanding to be fed, which caused her to lock herself in her office, away from prying eyes, as she offered her breast to him, Catherine finally left the lab and headed to PD.<p>

There, too, she kept bumping into colleagues and curious eyes, which some belonged to suspects or convicted felons being led down the corridors by uniformed officers, which Catherine did not like.

Finally, she reached her destination. She knocked a couple of times on Lou's office door before pushing it open and walking inside while pushing the pram before her.

"Hey," Lou greeted her with a huge grin. "What are you doing here?" he asked as her walked over to her and gave her a quick kiss, which she gladly returned, before leaning over the pram and picking up the now awake baby, giving him, too, a kiss on the cheek.

"We just got back from the lab," she explained, "so we thought we'd come by to see you. But I don't think we'll be staying long; Dylan's pretty tired," she said with a smile, placing a hand on her son's back. "He's met a hell lot of people today, didn't you, buddy?"

"Yeah?" Lou said, smiling at his son, who was currently very interested in his father's tie, his little fingers tugging at it. "Did you enjoy meeting Mommy's co-workers?"

"I think they enjoyed more," Catherine said with a light chuckle and Lou smiled in response before placing the boy back in the pram.

"They miss you," he said as they both sat down across from each other.

"Yeah, I miss them, too." Catherine smiled softly. "But I'm enjoying being at home with you guys, spending time with Dylan and Lindsey. I don't want to go back to work just yet."

"Well, you still have a few months," Lou said with a smile as the redhead got up from her seat and walked over to him. He welcomed her with open arms as she sat down on his knee, both watching their son moving softly in the pram.

"When are you coming home?" she asked without taking her eyes off of Dylan.

Lou tightened his arms around her waist before replying, "My shift is over in about an hour." He finished with a kiss to her shoulder.

"I'm gonna take him home," she said softly, "so I'll met you there."

"Looking forward to it," he replied with a smile and she turned her head slightly to meet his lips in a soft kiss.

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><p><strong>Kinda short, I know, but at least I got some time to write between studying. I need to keep my sanity.<strong>

**Anyway, don't forget to review, and I'm gonna publish some new, one-shots soon.**

**-Zohar.**


	10. Attention

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

**A/N: This episode is pretty much all Cath/Lindsey, and I might've also stolen a little part ffrom episode 5x03 'Harvest.'**

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><p><strong>Attention<strong>

Lindsey watched as her mother held her little brother in her arms and rocked him while talking to him softly. When the infant's eyes became heavier and he laid his head on her shoulder, Catherine smiled softly and carefully placed him in his crib, watching from above as his eyes closed and he slowly fell to sleep.

"Are you coming to see the movie with me now?" Lindsey asked, looking hopefully at her mother.

Catherine sighed as soon as the words left her daughter's lips. "I'm sorry, Linds, I'm tired, and you also need to go to bed because it's late and you have school tomorrow. We'll watch it some other time."

"But you promised!" Lindsey protested; her voice a little bit too loud, which caused Catherine to shush her before leading her out of the room so they didn't disturb the baby's sleep.

"I know and I'm sorry. I didn't think it would take so long for Dylan to fall asleep," she said.

"Whatever," Lindsey muttered as she turned around and started walking towards her own room, but was stopped by her mother's voice.

"Hey, what's with the attitude?"

"Nothing," the girl stated before turning back and entering her room, leaving a confused Catherine behind.

* * *

><p>Catherine stood in front of her full-length mirror with her pajama top raised slightly and both hands on her post-pregnant stomach. It had been nearly a month since Dylan had been born and she was still nowhere near getting her pre-pregnant body back.<p>

Lou kept telling her that she looked amazing nevertheless and her mother had assured her that it would take time but eventually she would get back in shape. After the pregnancy with Lindsey, it had also taken time before she'd gotten her small figure back. However, standing now in front of the mirror and seeing her body made her scrunch her face up. Patience was not something she was well known for having, and a month, she decided, was enough time for her to get back in shape.

"You look gorgeous," she suddenly heard a whisper in her ear before she felt the ticklish sensation of Lou's lips on her neck, just below her ear.

"Liar," she whispered back, never taking her eyes off the reflection of her stomach in the mirror.

Without responding, Lou placed his hands on her hips and turned her to face him before wrapping his arms properly around her waist and placing a sweet kiss on her lips. When they pulled apart, Catherine rested her head on Lou's chest, sighing softly, and he stroked her strawberry-blonde hair as he said, "You're the most beautiful woman in the world and don't ever doubt that."

He could feel her smiling against his chest and so he patted her butt as he said, "Now get your beautiful ass in bed 'cause who knows how much sleep we're gonna get tonight."

Catherine chuckled as she released herself from Lou's arms and made her way over to the bed. She got under the covers and watched as Lou stripped down to his boxers, all the while ogling his muscular body. However, her face dropped again as soon as he climbed into bed and pulled her body closer to him. She responded by placing her hand and head on his chest, but by the look on her face, he could see how distant she was.

"Hey," he said, trying to get her attention by playing with some golden strands of hair on her back, "stop worrying about it. You look great."

"It's not that," she replied with a sigh, playing with his chest hairs.

"Then what is it?"

"It's Lindsey," she sighed again before looking up at him. When she saw the frown of confusion on his face, she said, "She's been acting weird lately, I don't know why."

"Did you try talking to her?" Lou asked.

"Yeah, but she won't tell me what's wrong. I'll try to talk to her tomorrow."

"You sure? I can do it if you want," he suggested.

"Thanks." She smiled softly at him. "But I think I'll do it myself. She seems kinda upset with me."

"I don't see how anyone can be upset with you."

Catherine raised her head from his chest and shifted slightly so she could look at his face with squinted eyes. "Do I need to remind you of all the times you've been upset with me?"

Lou smiled at her accusing expression and tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear. "Well, you probably deserved it," he said lightly, causing the woman in his arms to raise her eye brows. He soon realized he'd made a mistake as she rolled onto her side and lay with her back to him.

"When Dylan cries tonight," she said, "you're gonna get up."

"Oh, don't be like that," he chuckled as he, too, rolled onto his side and wrapped his arms around her.

* * *

><p>The next day, while Lou was at work and Lindsey at school, Catherine was home alone to spend the day with Dylan. It had been two months since the last time she'd been at work and she had to admit: she missed her job and her colleagues. Nevertheless, she loved spending time with her new son, when he wasn't crying nonstop, anyway.<p>

She changed his diaper, all the while talking and tickling him, before redressing him in the little outfit Lou had got for him and gathering him into her arms, placing a soft kiss on his little cheek.

"You want to help me make lunch for when Linds gets back from school?" she cooed as she walked downstairs with the infant in her arms. His response was to tug on the collar of her shirt with his little fingers, and she took it as a yes.

Nevertheless, her plans to cook were changed the moment her cell phone went off. Dylan's head immediately spun around and his big, brown eyes searched for the source of the foreign noise. Catherine chuckled at his reaction as she walked into the living room, where her phone had been left on the coffee table.

She bent down to pick up the phone, causing Dylan's little arms to try and reach out for it as well. He proceeded to try and grab the phone as she took it in her hand and answered it.

"Hello," she said down the phone. After a few seconds of hearing what the voice on the other end had to say, her eyes widened, and she ignored Dylan's little palms on her face as she asked, "Where is she?" She listened to the answer on the other end before replying, "I'm on my way."

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Catherine walked through the front door while pushing Dylan's pram, Lindsey dragging her feet behind her. When she saw the girl starting to make her way upstairs, she called after her, "Where do you think you're going?"<p>

Lindsey turned around with an annoyed expression and replied, "My room."

"Oh, no," Catherine said – shaking her head – with rage in her voice. "You're going to wait here," she said, pointing in the direction of the living room, "while I put Dylan in bed, and when I come back down, we're gonna have a serious talk."

"Whatever," the girl mumbled while rolling her eyes as she made her way towards the living room.

A few minutes later, Catherine came back down the stairs to find Lindsey on the couch, watching TV. Feeling her temper rising at the behavior of her daughter, she walked into the living room, picked up the remote, and turned off the TV before turning to look at a somewhat surprised Lindsey.

"Now," she began, placing her hands on her hips, "I want you to tell me why I had to get a call from a police officer telling me that my daughter was hitchhiking on Fremont Street while you were supposed to be at school."

"I got bored," Lindsey mumbled with a shrug.

Catherine's jaw fell open at the lame excuse of her daughter and she let out an angry chuckle as she repeated Lindsey's statement, "You got bored?" When she got no response but another shrug, she exclaimed, "Okay, we'll see if you'll get bored at home, too, because you're grounded, for a month."

Lindsey rolled her eyes again, muttering a "whatever," as she got up and started walking away. However, she was stopped by Catherine's hand on her arm and turned around to see her mother's furious expression and hear her saying, "Where do you think you're going? I'm not done with you."

She let out an annoyed sigh as Catherine kneeled down to her height and placed both hands on her biceps. "Do you have any idea how dangerous what you did was? You could've been killed, do you realize that?" Tears were starting to form in her mother's already bloodshot eyes, threatening to come out every second, but she tried to keep a tough and angry expression on her face. And angry she was. Her daughter was supposed to be at school and instead, she had to hear from an officer that she was hitchhiking on one of the most dangerous streets in Vegas.

Only two years earlier, she had saved Lindsey from a drowning car after losing her ex-husband. She was so close to losing her daughter – the most precious and valuable thing in her life – too, and thinking about what could have happened if someone had stopped their car and invited Lindsey in now made her beyond angry at her daughter. She was angry mainly because she realized that she could have lost her daughter and this time there was nothing she could do.

"I would die if something happened to you," she said, the tears in her throat almost choking her and making it impossible for her to talk. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from crying in front of her daughter, especially after hearing what the girl had to say next.

"Not like it really matters," Lindsey said. "You already have another kid, you don't need me."

Catherine's eyes widened as the quiet words left her daughter's mouth and she didn't know whether she wanted to slap the girl for saying such a thing or pull her into a tight hug in an attempt to assure her that it was all nonsense.

"Is that what you think?" she whispered, the tears in her throat making it impossible for her voice to be any louder. "That now Dylan is here, you don't mutter to me anymore?"

"It's obvious." Lindsey shrugged. "You don't care about me and you don't spend time with me."

"You were doing this to get my attention?" Catherine gasped, receiving a nod from her daughter, who was now looking down, preventing her own tears from escaping her eyes. "Lindsey, the fact that we have Dylan now and we're spending a lot of time with him doesn't mean we don't care or love you anymore. He's a baby, he needs our attention. Both of you are the most important things in my life, and if something happened to you today, I wouldn't be able to go on with my life."

Finally, Lindsey looked at Catherine through her eye lashes, allowing a single tear to roll down her cheek. "I miss when it was just me and you," she whispered, "before Dad and Dylan came."

Even though it had taken her a long time to adjust to the idea that Eddie – the father she had known her whole life – wasn't really her father and Lou was, eventually she accepted him, and now he was her father and she loved him with all her heart. She never admitted it, not even to herself, but he was a much better father than Eddie could have ever been and she was proud to be his daughter. She also loved her new brother and enjoyed playing and spending time with him.

Nevertheless, before Dylan was born and before Lou came along, she had been the only thing her mother had had and she'd been the most important thing in her life. All of Catherine's free time had been spent on her and she loved the full attention and love she'd been getting. Now, however, with two other people in the house and family, who meant to Catherine just as much, she felt as though she was no longer her mother's first priority and had to struggle to be at the top of the scale again.

Catherine could sense her daughter's sadness and, just by looking into her deep, blue eyes, which matched her own, she could see exactly what Lindsey was feeling and thinking, and it only aided to break her heart a little bit more.

"I'm so sorry you feel this way, honey," she said in a voice just about a whisper, squeezing her daughter's biceps lightly, "but almost getting yourself killed is not a way to get my attention."

"But you promised," Lindsey interrupted her, this time letting the tears run freely down her face. "You promised that you wouldn't love Dylan more than you love me."

"Hey, Lindsey," Catherine said more firmly, placing a hand on her daughter's cheek and tilting her head upwards so she faced her. "I don't want you ever thinking that I love Dylan more than I love you. I love you both equally. You two are the most important things in my life and without you, I can't live. Just because Dylan needs most of my attention right now, doesn't mean I love you less, do you hear me?" The last few words came out choked as the tears finally marched out of her eyes and down her face.

Seeing her mother crying, which she hadn't seen since her so called father had died, broke Lindsey's heart and she was immediately sorry for making her feel this way. She hated seeing her mother sad; it made her sad.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked out.

Catherine didn't respond. Instead, she pulled her into her arms, embracing her in a tight hug. The blonde girl returned the hug, leaning into her mother's body and wrapping her arms tightly around her neck. She listened as Catherine quietly tried to stop the tears from pouring out, and laid her head on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, feeling comforted instead when her mother started stroking her soft, blonde hair.

After a couple of minutes, they finally broke apart and Catherine wiped the tears away from her face before placing both palms on her daughter's cheeks and wiping away the tears she found there.

Sniffing one last time, she looked directly into her daughter's eyes as she stated, "You're still grounded. I want you to think about what you've done."

Looking down, Lindsey nodded before turning around and starting to make her way out of the living room. However, she was, once again, stopped by her mother's voice. "But," Catherine began, causing the blonde to turn back to face her, "Right now Dylan's asleep, so how about we watch that movie you wanted to watch? Huh? Your grounding can start tomorrow," she added with a soft smile.

"Really?" Lindsey asked in somewhat disbelief and a light tone of excitement in her voice.

"Really," Catherine answered with a smile.

A few hours later, Lou got home from work. After dropping his brief case by the front door and releasing the tie on his shirt, he walked into the living room, only to smile softly at the sight awaiting him: his two favorite girls were curled up on the couch, both fast asleep and cuddled up together with leftovers of pizza and popcorn all over the couch and coffee table and a movie playing on the TV screen. Quietly, he reached for the thin blanket on the back of the couch and covered the two girls with it before heading upstairs to check on his slumbering son.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry if it's kinda crappy. I've had a rough day and I had to finish crying before writing this chapter. But don't worry, I'm fine now. Kinda. Whatever... Anyway, thanks for reading and don't forget to review.<strong>

**-Zohar.**


	11. Mrs Claus

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

**A/N: Guys, I'm kinda disappointed in you. I barely got any reviews on the last chapters. I'm expecting more this time, okay?  
>Oh, and this chapter might not be so good 'cause I spent the night at the hospital so I'm really exhausted now. But I wanted to update this story for you 'cause it's been a while.<br>Enjoy (:**

* * *

><p><strong>Mrs. Claus<strong>

It was 6am and both Catherine and Lou were sleeping soundly, Lou spooning Catherine from behind. The previous night had been one of the very few nights in which their 3-month-old son didn't wake them up with his crying and screams and they'd finally got a full night's sleep. Nevertheless, their peaceful sleep was broken too early not by their baby, but by their 10-year-old daughter bouncing excitedly on their bed.

"Mom, Dad, wake up!" Lindsey called, nudging and shaking the couple.

Lou was the first to barely open his eyes and spot the blurry figure of his daughter on the bed. He let out a grumble as Lindsey noticed he'd woken up and focused all her attention on him by shaking him harder.

"Dad, come on, wake up!"

"What's all this noise?" they suddenly heard the groggy sound coming from the strawberry-blonde in Lou's arms as she tried to keep her eyes closed and stay in the blissful state between consciousness and slumber she was currently in.

"Mom, you gotta see all the presents Santa's left us!" the girl exclaimed excitedly, causing her mother to groan and bury her face in the pillow.

"Five more minutes," she mumbled.

When Lou finally managed to open his eyes fully and get a clearer view of the room, he saw his daughter slump down on the bed with a look of disappointment on her face. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin her Christmas, and so he reached for her shoulder and squeezed it lightly as he said, "Linds, why don't you give us a few minutes to wake up and then we'll wake Tyler and go downstairs to open presents?"

The girl's face lit up again as she nodded, jumped out of the bed, and ran out of the room. Lou let out a groan as he heard her yell "Tyler!" and just wished it wouldn't wake his slumbering baby.

It was their first Christmas with Dylan and they wanted to make it a "family Christmas." Lou had flown to L.A. a couple of days earlier and picked up Tyler after many arguments with his ex-wife, who'd ended up celebrating Christmas with her new boyfriend and his kids. The last time Lou spent Christmas with his son had been years ago and he couldn't wait to celebrate it again with him.

The father and son had arrived at Vegas the next day. The second they'd walked through the front door, they had been greeted by Catherine who'd handed Lou a crying Dylan.

"He wouldn't stop crying," she'd said, exhaustion written all over her face. "He wants you."

Lou had taken the baby from her hands and started cooing and rocking him, and just when he'd stopped crying, Catherine had diverted her attention to Tyler and greeted him. The boy, however, was too fascinated with his new brother, who he'd only seen in pictures and video chats on Skype.

He'd spent the next hour playing with him and Lindsey, allowing the exhausted parents to rest for a bit, until Dylan had gotten tired himself and Catherine had carried him upstairs to take a nap.

Now it was Christmas morning, and as much as Catherine and Lou wanted to go back to sleep, they knew that if it was up to Lindsey, the whole house would be up soon.

"Guess we need to wake up," Lou mumbled as he, once again, wrapped his arms around the strawberry-blonde beside him and buried his face in her neck. She, however, didn't reply, and instead, snuggled further back against his chest.

They remained cuddled for a couple more minutes, trying to fall back to sleep, until they heard the unmistakable sound of a crying baby they already knew so well.

"Guess now we really need to wake up," Lou groaned again as he unwrapped his arms from around Catherine's body and rolled onto his back.

This time Catherine finally opened her eyes and rolled onto her back as well. "I'll get him," she mumbled as she slowly got out of bed, put on her robe, and left the room.

Ten minutes later, Lindsey and Tyler were waiting impatiently in the living room for Catherine to come downstairs after Lou had told them that they couldn't open the presents without her and Dylan. Finally the redhead showed up in the living room, carrying a calmer Dylan in her arms.

"Can we open the presents now?" Lindsey looked up hopefully at Lou, who nodded in response.

"Yes, you can."

The two kids started ripping wrap papers and opening presents, and soon the adults joined them on the floor along with Dylan. The family spent the next hour playing with the new presents until Catherine decided it was time to start cooking. She left Lindsey to show Dylan his new toys and Lou to help Tyler build a racing car model.

A few hours later, Lindsey and Tyler were playing Tyler's new video game and Dylan was napping when Lou walked into his and Catherine's bedroom just as she was getting out of the shower. He forgot why he'd come there the second he saw her walking out of the en suite with a little, white, fluffy towel wrapped around her body, her body still flushed from the shower, and her hair still wet.

Catherine spun around as she heard the bedroom door slam shut, and a smile formed on her lips as she saw Lou approaching her with a predatory gleam in his eyes. When he stopped in front of her, he wrapped his arms around her hips and pulled her body closer to his, letting their lips meet in a sweet kiss. When his lips left hers, they started trailing kisses down to her slender neck, causing the strawberry-blonde in his arms to let out a soft moan. Lou took the throaty sound as an approval and started nibbling at her neck while reaching down beneath the towel and skimming his hand up her soft thigh. However, just as his hand was about to reach her cantre, Catherine's hand shot down and grasped Lou's wrist, causing his lips to leave her neck. When he looked up at her, she had a warning look on her face.

"No," she exclaimed. "We are not doing this. The kids are downstairs."

"I closed the door," Lou mumbled as he proceeded to pepper her neck with kisses. Catherine let the soft sensation of his lips and warm breath against her neck wash over her for a second, and closed her eyes as another soft moan escaped her lips, but quickly came back to her senses and pushed him away from her.

"Lou, I'm serious."

"Come on," he pleaded, "we didn't get to be alone all day."

She couldn't resist his pleading eyes and eventually said, "Tonight, okay? I promise."

The big, bright smile she loved so much returned to Lou's face and he gave her lips another kiss, which she gladly returned.

"Is that all?" she questioned with a smile when they pulled apart.

"No," Lou answered. "I wanted to give you this." He reached for his back pocket, pulled out a black box, and handed it to her. "Merry Christmas."

Catherine looked at him with a smile and a raised eyebrow for a moment before lifting the lid, only to gasp as she saw the contents of the box.

"Lou, it's beautiful," she whispered as she pulled out a silver necklace. The pendant was a heart-shaped Ruby stone, which Lou knew was her stone. "How much did it cost you?"

"It doesn't matter," he said as he, once again, wrapped her in his arms. "You're worth every penny."

"Thank you, I love it," she said before pressing a soft kiss to his lips. When they pulled apart, she put the box on the bed and handed him the necklace. "Help me?" she said as she turned around and lifted her hair.

She watched in the mirror as he gently put the necklace on her and closed it behind her neck before pressing a soft kiss to her bare shoulder. She smiled as she let her hair fall back down, and took the pendant between her fingers.

"You look beautiful," he whispered against her ear and kissed her cheek, causing her smile to grow wider.

Turning around, she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes to reach his height as she whispered, "I also have a present for you, but you have to wait for tonight, when everyone's asleep."

"Mmm… I hate waiting," Lou murmured, his lips mere inches from hers.

"Suck it up," she whispered in response before pulling away.

Smiling, he patted on her butt and said, "I'll leave you to get dressed," before turning around and leaving the room.

A few hours later, everyone had finished dinner and was sitting in the living room. Catherine and Lou were curled up on the couch with a blanket wrapped around them, Dylan was playing on his play mat, and Lindsey and Tyler were watching a Christmas movie while eating ice cream with popcorn, which Lindsey had convinced Tyler to try and he'd ended up loving.

Halfway through the movie, Catherine noticed that the three kids had fallen asleep, and leaned closer to Lou. "Get the kids in bed and meet me in the bedroom," she whispered into his ear before getting up and walking out of the living room, leaving a somewhat confused and intrigued Lou behind.

After tucking each of the kids in bed, he walked down the hallway to his and Catherine's bedroom. Opening the door, he noticed the only light in the room was coming from candles that were scattered around the room and a soft, sensual music was playing in the background. The only thing he couldn't find in the room, though, was Catherine.

"Catherine?" he called as he closed the door behind him.

When he heard the door to the en suite open, he turned around only to have his jaw drop and his eyes widen as he took in the sight before him: his strawberry-blonde lover was leaning against the door frame with a tiny and very exposing Mrs. Claus outfit and red stiletto shoes. Her soft, reddish hair was down in loose curls, her supple breasts pushed up, and the outfit barely covered her thighs, exposing her long, dancer legs to his hungry eyes.

"Catherine… w… what's that?" he stammered.

"Sit down," she ordered softly, and he did as he was told and sat down on the edge of the bed. A satisfied smile appeared on her face and she said, "I'm giving you your Christmas present," before making her way over to him and straddling his thighs. "And don't call me Catherine," she whispered against his ear before taking his earlobe between her teeth. After releasing it, she whispered, "It's Mrs. Claus for you."

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><p><strong>And I'm leaving it here ;P<strong>

**Please tell me what you think.**

**-Zohar.**


	12. Do Not Disturb

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

**A/N: Oh, I'm so nice, updating already ;)  
>Okay, but I'm kinda mean 'cause I know you wanted me to pick up where I left off last chapter and I didn't. But don't worry, I already have a smut fic in mind and it shouldn't take me too long to write it. I think.<strong>

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><p><strong>Do Not Disturb<strong>

Catherine stood in front of the full length mirror and her and Lou's bedroom and tilted her head to the side. Her reddish hair was down on her shoulders in loose curls, she had light touches of make up on her face, and she was wearing a black, tight dress that reached just above her knees and black stiletto shoes. Her body had returned to its pre-pregnancy shape, and yet, she had a feeling that she didn't look good enough.

This night was the first one since Dylan was born that she and Lou were going to go out. Both loved staying with the baby and spending time with him, and he and Lindsey certainly were the most precious things in their lives. Nevertheless, taking care of a baby 24/7 was taking its toll on the couple, and now that Lou had the night off and Catherine finally felt safe enough leaving her baby alone with her mother, they weren't going to miss their chance to spend the night together – alone.

That was why it was so important to Catherine to look good that night.

She was just running her hand down her stomach, trying to find any unwanted bumps under the dress, when she felt a pair of big, strong arms wrap around her. She smiled as she wrapped her arms around those arms and leaned back into the body of Lou.

Without saying a word, the tall man swept her strawberry-blonde hair aside and, leaning down, started peppering her slender neck with soft kisses. He knew how sensitive the skin there was and he was getting the exact reactions he was expecting. The redhead in his arms closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side, granting him more access to her neck, as soft moans left her lips.

However, when she felt his left hand wandering down her stomach, she opened her eyes to see their reflection in the mirror. Seeing the actual actions of his lips and hand on her body heightened the pleasure she was feeling, but as his hand slid beneath her black dress and cupped her heat through her panties, she decided to put an end to it.

Lou's lips left her neck and he raised his head to meet her face in the mirror when he felt her grabbing his arm and pulling his hand out of her dress. His confused expression almost made her feel guilty and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from pushing his hand back under her dress. As much as she wanted to just push him on the bed and have her way with him, she couldn't wait to finally get out of the house and spend some quality time with him without quickies or a crying baby in the background.

"Lou, you promised," she said. "You said you'd take me out."

"I know," Lou mumbled as he proceeded to nuzzle his face into her neck and plant wet kisses on the sensitive skin, causing her breath to hitch. "But you're so sexy."

"Lou, please," she almost pleaded, reluctantly pushing his head away. "I'm dying to go out for once."

"Mmm," was Lou's response as his hands started touching everywhere they could on her body. "I want to play first."

This time Catherine had to bite her lip to suppress a laugh. She did chuckle, though, as she said, "You'll get to play as much as you want later." She turned her head to meet his and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before saying, "I promise."

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><p>Two hours later, they were sitting across from each other in a restaurant. Both had finished their meals thirty minutes earlier, but neither wanted to leave just yet. They had been spending the evening talking about everything and nothing, laughing, and just having fun. In some strange way, they felt free for a change.<p>

"Do you want to order desert?" Lou finally offered.

"Are you kidding?" Catherine chuckled in response and motioned with her hand to her empty plate. "After that? I don't think so. I might explode. Besides," she added, stroking her stomach, "I've finally got my body back. I'm not gonna risk it."

Leaning forward, Lou took her hand in his and smiled as he said, "You're always beautiful."

A playful smile slowly formed on Catherine's face and she leaned forward suggestively before huskily saying, "How 'bout we get my mom to stay with the kids tonight and we'll get some crappy room in a cheap motel?"

Lou felt his libido kick into overdrive at her words and the sound of her voice. Smiling, he leaned even close to her so his breath was blowing on her lips as he whispered, "I like your plan, but there's one problem." When the redhead raised her eyebrow, he answered her unspoken question. "You deserve much more than a crappy room in a cheap motel."

Another thirty minutes and a long argument about whom was going to pay for the meal – which had been settled with Lou paying and Catherine leaving the tip – they stumbled together, lip locked, into a room at The Bellagio.

Catherine's fingers were tangled in Lou's hair, whereas his hands were cupping her soft ass through the fabric of her black, lacy panties beneath her dress. Catherine moaned as he gave her ass a gently squeeze, and raised her arms just in time for him to pull his hands out of her dress, take hold of the hem, and pull it off her body. Her dress fell to the floor about the same time his jacket did, and, after discarding their shoes, both tumbled together onto the king-sized bed in the middle of the room.

Catherine landed on top of Lou and started attacking his lips with hers. As his hands wandered back down to her supple ass, Lou parted his lips, allowing their hot, wet tongues to mingle together. As the kiss got more intense, Catherine blindly reached between their bodies and started working on the buttons of Lou's shirt. When all the buttons were undone, she sat up, forcing Lou to do the same, and shoved it off his shoulders, tossing it on the floor.

When he lay back down, she leaned down and started peppering his big, strong chest with kisses, her strawberry-blonde hair tickling his skin. She listened to his breath quicken as she reached for his belt buckle and quickly unbuckled it before undoing the button and zipper of his trousers. Her lips finally left his chest and she looked up at him with a seductive smile as she slowly slithered down his body. When her face was level with his crotch, she took hold of the waistbands of his trousers and boxers and pulled them down his legs, tossing them in the same direction his shirt had gone.

Lou dropped his head back into the pillow when his raging erection was finally released for its confines. With a cheeky grin, Catherine licked her lips in anticipation as his hard member twitched in front of her face. She braced hersrelf on her hands and knees, her ass sticking up in the air, and opened her mouth.

She was just about to take him in, feel all the man Lou was inside her mouth, when suddenly the unmistakable sound of a ringing phone shrilled through the quiet room. Catherine let her body drop back down and her face to fall onto Lou's stomach as she let out an annoyed sigh at the same time Lou did.

All they wanted was one night alone with each other, to spend some quality time and take the time to touch and pleasure each other without worrying about Dylan waking up or wanting to be fed.

When the phone wouldn't stop ringing, Catherine finally got out of bed, her body clad in only her black, lacy bra and panties – which she had bought especially for the occasion – and started rummaging in her purse in search of the phone.

"Hello," she answered it, turning back to face Lou. Her heart sank when she saw he'd sat up and was beginning to gather his clothes. Both knew that their night was over.

"Is she okay?" Catherine asked down the phone. She listened to the voice on the other end of the line before finishing the conversation with a sigh. "Okay, we'll be there in twenty minutes."

"What's wrong?" Lou asked when she hung up.

"It was my mom," the redhead answered while sitting down on the edge of the bed. Lou stroked her slumped back as she continued, "Lindsey's not feeling well. She has a fever and she won't let my mom take care of her." Turning her head to look at him, she said, "She wants me."

A sigh escaped from Lou's lips before a slight smile appeared on them. "Well, at least it's not Dylan interrupting our night like we thought."

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><p>Twenty minutes later, Catherine and Lou walked through the front door of their house and were greeted by Lily.<p>

"Hey, where's Lindsey?" Catherine asked.

"She's in bed," the older woman replied. "She had a fever so I gave her a pill and told her to get some sleep, but I think she's still awake. She was waiting for you."

"Where's Dylan?" Lou asked.

"He's asleep," Lily answered.

"Okay, I'm gonna go check on Lindsey," Catherine said, dumping her purse on the small table in the hallway. She patted Lou's shoulder lightly before leaving him alone with her mother and going upstairs.

Reaching her daughter's room, she eased the door open; careful not to make too much noise in case the child was asleep. She found the room dark and the only light in there was from her daughter's night lamp. Walking over to the bed, she sat down on the edge and stroked Lindsey's soft, blonde hair, causing the child to open her eyes and turn to face her.

"Hey, I thought you were asleep," Catherine said softly with a warm smile gracing her lips, receiving a shake of the girl's head. "How are you feeling?"

"I have a headache," the blonde squeaked out with tears in her eyes.

Catherine smiled sympathetically at her as she pressed the back of her hand to Lindsey's forehead, finding it at a normal temperature. "Did Nana give you a pill?" she asked, receiving a nod in response.

"I'm sorry I ruined your night," the blonde squeaked out again.

"It's okay." Catherine smiled softly. "You're more important." After a couple of silent minutes of stroking her daughter's soft hair, Catherine suggested, "Why don't you try to get some sleep? You'll feel better in the morning."

Lindsey nodded and Catherine smiled and bent down to kiss her daughter's forehead softly. When she pulled away, she asked, "Do you want Mr. Teddy to sleep with you? I bet he'll make you feel better." Before she received an answer from her daughter, she looked around the bed, which was usually where Lindsey's teddy bear was. Mr. Teddy was Lindsey's first stuffed animal. It was a small, white teddy bear, which Eddie had gotten for Lindsey the day after she had been born. She'd had it in her bed ever since and it was her favorite toy. That was why a frown appeared on Catherine's face when she couldn't find it in her daughter's bed. "Where is it?"

Lindsey's reply was to point to a sack in the far corner of the room, which Catherine knew contained the toys her daughter no longer wanted. Frowning, she got off the bed and fished the bear out of the sack before returning to her previous seat.

"Why was it there?" she questioned softly, stroking the old toy.

Lindsey shrugged. "I don't like him anymore."

"What? Why?" Catherine's frown deepened, shock and surprise written all over her face, and her heart broke at the next thing her daughter said.

"Because he doesn't like me."

"What do you mean, he doesn't like you?"

"Eddie gave him to me."

Ever since Lindsey had found out the truth about her father, Catherine had heard her calling him Eddie instead of her usual "Daddy" on several occasions. Even though she had her bad history with the man, he'd been a good father to Lindsey and she'd been grateful for that, so it broke her heart every time she heard her daughter call him by his name.

"And why does it mean that Mr. Teddy doesn't like you?" she questioned softly.

"Because Eddie wasn't my real dad."

This time Catherine could actually feel her heart shattering to tiny pieces and the tears welling up in her throat.

"Linds…" she began, stroking her daughter's hair softly, "Eddie was your dad." When her daughter narrowed an "are you crazy?" look at her, she said, "Maybe not biologically, but he was still your dad. He raised you; he was always there for you-"

"But it was all a lie," Lindsey cut her off mid-sentence. "He wasn't my real dad."

"I know," Catherine sighed. "But you can't blame him, it wasn't his fault. I never told him and I'm so sorry. I just wanted you to have a dad." She could see how one tear escaped her daughter's eye and rolled down her cheek, and quickly wiped it away with her thumb before stroking her cheek softly.

"Eddie was a great dad and he loved you," she continued softly. "And even if he wasn't your biological dad, it doesn't change anything. And it doesn't mean that Mr. Teddy doesn't love you," she added with a small smile.

"But it's not the same anymore," Lindsey said in a voice just above a whisper.

"Linds," Catherine said, tucking a strand of golden hair behind her daughter's ear, "Eddie got this teddy for you because he loved you. It had nothing to do with him being or not being your dad."

Lindsey kept quiet for a couple of minutes. She was looking down and Catherine could swear she could hear the wheels turning in her daughter's head as if she was trying to process the conversation and make up a decision.

Eventually, the child looked up at her mother and whispered, "Does Mr. Teddy hate me for throwing him away?"

A soft smile formed on Catherine's lips as she said, "Of course not, baby. I think he just misses sleeping with you," she said, handing the white teddy to her daughter, who welcomed it with open arms.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep? You'll feel better in the morning," Catherine said, receiving a tired nod from the girl in the bed. Smiling, she bent down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before getting up and walking toward the door. Just when she was about to leave the room, she turned around to see her daughter rolling onto her side and cuddling the small teddy bear. She smiled softly as she turned back around, walked out of the room, and closed the door behind her.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading. I promise to update soon, and look forward to more one-shots from me.<strong>

**-Zohar.**


	13. Exhaustion

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

**A/N: Okay, I don't know exactly how long after you've had a baby you need to go back to work, but I just assumed.**

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><p><strong>Exhaustion<strong>

It felt so familiar and good to finally step into the Crime Lab again. After six months, she'd thought it would be strange to be back there, but to Catherine it felt as if she was coming home – her second home.

"Hey, Cath!" a voice behind her caused her to turn around, and a bright smile formed on her lips as she saw her Texan friend approaching her.

"Nicky," she greeted him once he'd stopped in front of her and they shared a hug.

"It's so good to see you again," Nick exclaimed as he pulled away. "Heard you're joining days."

"Yeah," Catherine confirmed with a nod and a slightly sad smile. "Gonna be easier with a baby at home."

"Yeah, how's Dylan, by the way?" the Texan questioned, causing the redhead's smile grow wider at the mention of her 6-month-old son's name.

"He's good, he's good," she said. "Growing slowly."

"Yeah, I bet," Nick said with a smile. "Gonna have to come by some time and see him. It's been a while."

"Yeah…"

"Anyway," he changed the subject, "I was just on my way out. My shift is over so I'm going to grab a bite at Frank's. So, good luck with day shift, and Ecklie," he added with a grin, causing the redhead in front of him to let out a small giggle.

"Yeah, I'm gonna need that," she laughed. "I'll see you around then."

"You will." They shared another hug before Nick proceeded to make his way out of the lab and Catherine started walking down to corridors in the direction of Ecklie, he new boss's office, preparing herself for her first day back at work.

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><p>When Catherine walked into her house, she was beyond exhausted. Not only had it been the first time in six months that she'd been at work; her case had been a horrifying, obnoxious one, in which two sisters had been found beheaded in their own apartment. The case was far from close and she had had to stay two hours after her shift had finished to wait for results from Trace. Now all she wanted to do was crawl into bed beside her boyfriend – who had visited her new office three hours earlier telling her he was heading home – and get some sleep to prepare herself for the same case the next day.<p>

With a heavy sigh, she dropped her briefcase on the floor and kicked off her shoes before heading upstairs. First she went to check the kids' rooms. However, she found both rooms empty, and so she proceeded to make her way to her and Lou's bedroom. Easing the door open, a soft smile formed on her lips at the sight awaiting her: Lou was sleeping on his back on the bed; Lindsey, too, asleep, curled up beside him; and Dylan lying on his stomach on top of Lou, wrapped protectively in his father's arms. He was the only one who wasn't asleep, and when he heard the door open, he turned his head to look at his smiling mother with big, green eyes, just like his father's.

As she approached the bed, he started wiggling in his father's arms, trying to reach for her with his small arms while letting incoherent sounds leave his small lips. Catherine smiled at the attempt of her son to talk as she quietly pulled him out of Lou's arms, careful not to wake the tired man on the bed, and picked him up into her own arms.

"Hey, baby," she cooed as she started walking out of the room, the baby in her arms playing with her strawberry-blonde hair. "I missed you today. Did you have fun with Daddy and Lindsey?" Dylan's response was to tug on a stand of her hair with his little fingers.

After only a few minutes of rocking the baby in the nursery and talking to him about his first day at the day care, Dylan fell asleep and Catherine placed him in his crib before taking the baby monitor with her and going back into her bedroom, where she picked up her slumbering daughter and carried her into her own room, tucking her in bed.

When Catherine came into the bedroom for the third time, she found Lou awake on the bed. When he spotted her in the doorway, he smiled and patted the mattress, motioning her to join him on the bed.

"I thought you were asleep," she said as she crawled into bed, still fully clothed in her work clothes, and snuggled against his sides.

"I was," he replied, wrapping an arm around her small body and pulling her closer, "but I heard you and then I noticed Linds and Dylan were gone." They lay in silence for a couple of minutes, before Lou changed the subject. "How was work?

Catherine sighed and snuggled further into his body. "Exhausting," she said. "I almost forgot how cruel people can be. I swear, if I need to crouch one more time to collect evidence, I'll kill someone. My back is killing me."

Turning his head slightly, Lou tucked a strand of strawberry-blonde hair behind Catherine's ear before kissing her forehead. "Take off your shirt," he suddenly said, causing the woman in his arms to look up at him suspiciously.

"Lou, come on, I'm not in the mood."

He smiled slightly at her accusing and tired tone before saying, "I'm not after sex, just gonna rub your back."

Catherine's eyes softened at his words and, with a grateful smile, she leaned up to kiss him before sitting up and taking off her shirt and bra, discarding them at the foot of the bed. Lou had to force himself to tear his gaze from her breasts as she released them from their confines, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to control himself and would have pounced at her and had his way with her.

He waited for Catherine to lie on her stomach before he straddled her butt and rolled up his sleeves. His hands started working on her back, rubbing and pressing in all the right spots to relieve her tension. Every now and then, he hit a sensitive spot, which caused a soft moan or purr to leave the redhead's lips.

"How was Dylan's first day at the day care?" Catherine asked after a few minutes of silence.

"The woman there told me he wouldn't stop crying at first," Lou said as he massaged her shoulders, "but then she gave him some toys and played with him and he calmed down. When I came to pick him up, he was all happy and excited," he added with a small smirk, causing Catherine's lips to pull out into a smile.

"How are the guys from days?" he asked as he started rubbing her shoulder blades, which he found the most tense part on her back.

"They're cool," Catherine moaned out, her eyes closed and her head resting on her arms. "They welcomed me really well. And Grissom came into my office at the end of his shift. He wanted to see how I was doing."

"That's nice," Lou said as he ran his hands up and down the smooth skin of her back, causing a satisfied smile to form on her lips and quiet purrs and moans to leave them, which he found highly arousing. Eventually he couldn't take it anymore. With every moan she let out, he felt the bulge in his pants growing harder, and so he bent down and kissed the back of her neck softly.

"Mmm… that feels nice," Catherine murmured, the satisfied smile never leaving her face.

"Yeah? How's that?" He started trailing soft kisses all over her upper back while running his fingers across her lower back.

"Mhm…" was all Catherine could muster out.

Taking her sweet sounds of pleasure as an approval to go on, his fingers ran further down her lower back until they reached the waistband of her trousers. Catherine's back arched slightly as they disappeared inside her trousers and danced along the straps of her lacy panties. Bending down again, he started planting kisses on the side of her neck until, suddenly, Catherine's head shot up and turned to look at him, forcing his head to leave her neck.

"What are you doing?" she questioned sternly, causing him to pull his fingers out of her trousers.

"What do you mean?"

Rolling onto her side, she pushed him off of her before reaching for the floor and picking up her discarded shirt, sitting up, and putting it back on. All the while, Lou was looking at her with a frown of confusion on his face.

"Is that all you care about?" she accused. "Sex? I told you I had a rough day and just wanted to relax, and you manage to turn even a massage to something sexual."

"Cath, I was just trying to make you feel good," he tried to defend himself.

"Yeah," she said in a mocking way while getting off the bed and walking to the closet. "I know exactly how you were trying to make me feel good."

Lou watched as she opened the closet and pulled out her pajamas. Throwing it onto the bed, she started stripping off her clothes. Usually she wouldn't mind him seeing her naked, but this time she turned her back to him as she pulled off her clothes and put on the pajamas.

"I'm sorry, Cath," he said softly, trying to reach for her hand, which she pulled away.

"I don't want you to sleep with me tonight," she said as she pulled back the covers on the bed and climbed in.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," she said matter of factly. "Don't want you trying anything like you always do."

"Catherine, I said I'm sorry," he almost pleaded. "Why are you overreacting? I wasn't trying to upset you."

"I'm not upset," she explained calmly, but he could see that he was getting on her nerves. "I've had a rough day and I'm tired. I just want to get some sleep."

Looking into her blue, piercing eyes, he saw no point in arguing. He knew Catherine long enough and he knew that whatever argument they would have, she would win and even get more upset with him. It was best to keep her cool, he decided, and deal with her the next morning, when she was calmer. He knew better than to do so when she was tired; sometimes she could kill. However, once she's had her sleep, they could have a calm, reasonable conversation.

Catherine watched him as he sighed in defeat and got off the bed. Her eyes followed him as he picked up his pillow and walked toward the door. When he was about to leave the room, he turned around and looked into her angry eyes, hoping she would ask him to come back. When she didn't, he turned away and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Once the door had closed, Catherine flopped back on the bed with a heavy sigh and pulled the blanket up to her chest.

Two hours later, she was still lying in bed wide awake. She had been tossing and turning, trying desperately to close her eyes, and even counting sheep, but nothing helped. She never realized how much she needed to feel Lou's body close to her at night. Ever since they started dating, they had been sleeping cuddled to each other every night, and until now, she never thought it was something she couldn't sleep without.

The more time that passed, the more frustrated she got. She started thinking about the fight she had had with him a couple of hours earlier. She could never control her actions or the words that left her mouth when she was tired, but this fight just seemed ridiculous. He was just trying to make you feel good, she told herself. He didn't have any bad intentions.

Sighing for what seemed like the hundredth time that night; she tossed the blanket away from her body and got off the bed.

As she walked into the living room, she saw him sleeping peacefully on the couch with just a little, thin blanket covering his body, and suddenly she couldn't understand why she'd been so angry with him. He looked so peaceful and so kind; he looked like an angel – her very own angel.

She sat down beside him on the edge of the couch and brushed with her fingers a few hairs that had fallen on his forehead. She smiled softly when she saw him stir slightly before he sensed her presence and opened his eyes.

"Hey," she said quietly with a soft smile gracing his lips.

"Hey," he replied groggily.

Motioning with her head toward the stairs, she said, "Come to bed."

His brows furrowed and he eyed her suspiciously for a second. Just a couple of hours ago she had been upset with him and kicked him out of bed, and now, when he was asleep, she was waking him and asking him to come back? Was she trying to drive him crazy? "Are you sure?" he asked.

She nodded in response. "I'm sorry," she said. "I overreacted. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did."

"Hey." He reached for her hand, which was resting in her lap, and picked it up in his when he saw the look of sorrow and regret in her eyes. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have tried anything. You were tired and I wasn't thinking-"

"No," she cut him off, shaking her head. "I understand. With Dylan around, we barely get the chance to be intimate and it's frustrating. Trust me; I'm not enjoying it, either. But I promise, I'll make it up to you once I get the chance."

Lou's lips pulled up into a warm smile as his hand left hers and tucked a strand of strawberry-blonde hair behind her ear before giving her cheek a light caress with the back of his fingers. She knew he forgave her and so she smiled back down at him.

"Come here," he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her down on the couch.

"Lou," she warned, but he cut her off.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna try anything," he said as he pulled her back against his chest and cuddled her from behind, his strong arms holding her protectively against his body.

Catherine smiled as she felt the warmth of his body and turned her head back to share a loving kiss with him. When they pulled apart, she settled back against his chest and closed her eyes with a contented smile on her face. The feeling of his hot breath on her neck had her falling into a peaceful sleep within seconds.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading. I promise to update soon. And don't forget to leave a review (:<strong>

**-Zohar**


	14. Family Time

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

**A/N: So, I had my last exam today, which means I have all the time I need to write FF. Until Friday, 'cause then I'm going to Netherland for 10 days and I can't take my laptop with me. BUT I'LL STILL WRITE ON THE PLANE.  
>Okay, read now. The LindseyDylan parts are kinda like how my brother and I were when he was a baby. Yeah, he wasn't that annoying back then.**

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><p><strong>Family Time<strong>

Dylan's big, green eyes were wide as they followed every movement of his big sister while she was building a Lego tower on the carpet in the nursery. His little fingers wrapped tightly around a blue Lego piece before he raised it to his mouth and bit down as if to check if he could break this toy, just like every other toy he owned.

Catherine, too, was sitting on the carpet and watching happily as her daughter played with her brother, who was sitting between her legs and chewing on a Lego piece. She wrapped her arms tighter around the infant's little body and pulled him further back against hers, content to feel his little, warm body.

"Dylan, look what I made for you," Lindsey exclaimed excitedly and pointed at her finished Lego tower. Dylan, in response, leaned over and pushed the tower down with his little hands while letting out a happy squeal, making all the pieces scatter on the carpet.

When Catherine saw the disappointed and somewhat insulted look on her daughter's face, she bent down to get a better look at her son's face and said, "Dylan, apologize to your sister. She worked really hard for you."

Dylan, however, was having none of it and continued parting the pieces that were still attached.

As a revenge, Lindsey grabbed a furry, blue dinosaur – Dylan's favorite stuffed animal – and tossed it to the other side of the room. "Dylan, go get it," she instructed.

Dylan's eyes lit up and his toothless smile grew wider as he freed himself from his mother's grasp and crawled toward his favorite toy.

"Lindsey, he's not a dog," Catherine said as the baby took hold of the toy and crawled back over to Lindsey, offering it to her to throw again.

"He likes it." The girl shrugged as she, once again, tossed the stuffed animal in a different direction, causing Dylan to crawl happily to pick it up again.

As the two kids continued playing on the floor, Catherine lay down on her back with a sigh. Smiling, she closed her eyes and thought about the past nine months. She and Lou had created a beautiful, little boy and, together with Lindsey, the four were a real, happy family. Not wanting to repeat the same mistake she had made with Lindsey and miss out on her son's life, Catherine had transferred to day shift at work, and so did Lou, and both parents had been spending every available minute with their children; taking them to the park, playing with them at home, or even just spending Sunday mornings in bed with them. Catherine finally got her perfect family and perfect life and she was truly happy.

Her mind wandered back to two years earlier. She remembered how eight years after the first night she had spent with Lou, he had walked back into her life. She remembered how scared she had been at first to go out with him and how hard it had been for her to watch him spending time with her daughter; their daughter. She also remembered the couple's reactions when they had discovered the secret she had been hiding from them. It had almost shattered her and Lou's relationship, and more importantly, it had almost destroyed her own relationship with her daughter, who meant to her more than life itself.

Words could not describe how happy she had felt when both had decided to forgive her and even stay with her. She remembered how Lindsey had come into her bed and, settling against her side, had gone with her through an old photo album of their so called family. They had spent a few hours just looking at photos without talking, and had fallen asleep in each other's arms at the early hours of the morning.

A soft, distant smile formed on her face as her mind wandered to the morning she had told Lou about the pregnancy with Dylan.

She hadn't been feeling well for quite a while, she had been constantly sick, and she couldn't have controlled her mood. Pregnancy, however, had never been an answer that seemed possible. She had been a 37-year-old woman with a nearly 10-year-old daughter and she had truly believed that she could have crossed making babies off her to-do list. She would have been lying if she'd said that she didn't want any more kids; she just hadn't thought it was been possible.

When the sickness had grown more frequent, however, she'd finally decided to do something about it and had bought the last thing she had expected to buy – a pregnancy test.

One of the things Catherine did best was procrastinating, and that was exactly what she had done once she'd owned the pregnancy test. She would have been thrilled if she'd found out that she was pregnant; she just hadn't known how Lou and Lindsey would have taken the news.

What if Lou doesn't want another child? What if he leaves me? What if Lindsey wants to stay an only child? The questions had been running in her head for two weeks, causing her to feel even more anxious about finding out whether her gut feeling had been right or wrong.

One night, at work, she had finally decided to do what she'd known needed to be done. She had escaped to the ladies bathroom and spent fifteen minutes inside the cubical. When she had finally felt ready, finally had the courage to find out whether her life had been about to change or not, she had looked down at the stick in her hand.

She hadn't cried. She hadn't smiled, either. The two stripes on the stick had caused no reaction – none that her face had been showing, anyway. Her head, however, had been exploding.

Catherine remembered how she had called Lou that night and asked him to meet her for breakfast at Frank's. She smiled slightly at the memory of his confused frown when she had declined his offer to buy her coffee. She hadn't dared look at him as she said the two words that had been so hard to let out of her mouth.

"I'm pregnant."

At first, a deadly silence had fallen on the place. To Catherine, it had felt as though everyone in the diner had heard her news and gone quiet. She'd had to finally look up to check Lou hadn't left. But he'd still been there. Not only had he been there, but the moment she'd looked up at him, his hand had stretched out across the table to rest on top of hers and a soft, reassuring smile had formed on his lips. It was the first time Catherine had cried since she had saw the result on the stick. She hadn't been sad, thought; she had been relieved and, most of all, happy.

Lindsey had received the big news very well, too. She'd kept asking questions such as, "When will your belly grow?" and "Can we make it a girl?"

Now, spending her day off work with her kids – the two most precious things in her life – Catherine felt like the luckiest woman in the world. She'd never realized what she had been searching for her whole life until she finally got it. She had Lou, she had Lindsey, and she had Dylan, and her life was finally perfect.

Her thoughts were cut off by a pair of small hands on her face. She opened her eyes to see her 9-month-old son crawling on her stomach, his hands patting her face playfully. She smiled as she grabbed his waist and sat up while raising the baby above her head. The boy started squealing happily and kicking his legs while she pressed kisses to his stomach, trying to avoid the kicks.

"Kick her, Dylan!" Lindsey cheered as the boy continued to kick his mother's face and let out happy noises.

"Hey, don't encourage him," Catherine giggled as she tried to keep her face as far away from her son's legs as possible.

"Having fun?" they suddenly heard a voice from the doorway and turned their heads to see the smiling face of Lou.

"Dad," Lindsey called before getting up, running over to her father, and giving him a tight hug, which he gladly returned.

"Hey." Catherine smiled as she put Dylan back down. Returning the smile, Lou walked over to her, kneeled beside her, and they shared a kiss before he picked up his son and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Why are you torturing Mommy?" he teased as Dylan started patting his face with his little hands.

With a soft smile, he lowered the baby back onto the floor, letting him crawl back toward his mother and sister, before standing back up. "I'm going to take a shower," he said before turning on his heels and leaving the room without adding another word.

Catherine looked after him with a concerned frown. Telling Lindsey to watch Dylan for a few minutes, she got up as well and made her way out of the room.

"You okay?" she asked as she entered the bedroom and saw Lou struggling to untie his tie. "Here, let me help you," she offered, stepping closer to him and easily untying the black material.

"Wanna talk about it?" she asked as she started unbuttoning his white shirt.

"Just a bad case of domestic violence," Lou sighed. "I hate those."

"Anything I can do to help?" she offered with a sympathetic smile once the buttons on his shirt were undone.

"No, I just need a shower to wash this day off of me," he replied as he shrugged off the shirt and threw it onto the bed. "Actually," he began, his lips pulling up into a half smile, "it could really help me if you joined me."

Smiling, Catherine stepped even closer to her man and ran her hands up and down his muscular chest. "You know I'd love to…" Before she could finish her sentence, Lou's smile disappeared and he sighed, knowing her answer would be negative, just like it had constantly been recently. "But I can't leave the kids alone," she said. "Besides, they're in the other room. They could hear us."

"Right," Lou sighed with a nod. "Just forget about it. Go back to the kids," he said as he turned around and walked into the en suite.

Closing the door behind him, he took off his shoes and socks, his trousers, and finally his boxers. Just as he turned on the faucet, he heard the en suite door open and close, and turned around. His lips parted and his eyes widened as he saw his strawberry-blonde lover standing completely naked in front of him.

She was 37 years old and had given birth twice and still, her body had never looked more perfect. It was like looking at a goddess. Unlike other women her age, Catherine's breasts were still standing erect and looked exactly the way they had the first time Lou had seen her body, ten years earlier. Lou looked down at her stomach and, if he didn't know better, he would think she never ate. The fact that she had given birth twice would not even cross his mind, either. And her legs... Words could not describe how much Lou loved her legs. He loved having them in his lap when they were watching TV; her loved having them draped over his when they were asleep; and he loved having them wrapped around his waist when they were making love.

And that was exactly what they were about to do at that moment: make love.

"You have ten minutes," Catherine stated while pointing a finger at him.

Grinning, he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her small waist, relishing in the feeling of her soft, supple breasts pressed against his bare chest. "It's nine more than I need," he whispered huskily and claimed her lips with his before she had a chance to reply.

Lip-locked, both stumbled together into the shower and the hot spray of water, shutting the glass door behind them. As the kiss turned more heated, Lou pinned Catherine against the glass wall of the shower. She moaned when she felt his hardness pressing against her stomach and wrapped her arms tightly around his hips, her tongue sneaking out and seeking access into his mouth, which he gladly granted her. When they started feeling the oxygen leaving their lungs, however, they broke from the intense kiss, both looking into lustful eyes.

As both were gasping for air, Lou's eyes wandered over Catherine's body, adoring her beauty and the pink shade the hot water had given to her pale, freckled skin. Finally, running his hands down her sides, he huskily ordered, "Turn around."

The redhead gave him a seductive smile and, leaning up, pecked his lips once more before turning around so the front of her body was pressed against the steaming glass wall. She arched her back slightly, giving Lou a luscious view of her buttocks and wet, welcoming sex. Lou growled as he ran his hand down her back, causing shivers to run through the strawberry-blonde's body, before it finally settled on her right butt cheek and gave it a gentle squeeze. Bending down, he started pressing soft kisses to the back of her neck while reaching down with his left hand and rubbing her wet lips, occasionally pinching the sensitive nub between his fingers.

"Fuck, Lou," Catherine breathed out between moans.

"You like that?" he whispered huskily, his lips pressed to her ear. Unable to form words, she just nodded with a quiet moan. "How about this?" he asked as he slipped two of his big, thick fingers into her warm opening, causing a throaty moan to leave her mouth.

He started moving his fingers in and out of her – occasionally curling them inside her to make sure he'd hit her G-spot – and all the while peppered her neck and shoulders with kisses, listening to her pants and moans of pleasure.

Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore. "Please, Lou," she almost begged. "I need you."

Smirking, Lou pulled his fingers out of her, eliciting a disappointed groan from his lover, and straightened up. Grabbing her hips, he ran his very hard member up and down her lips, teasing her clit and causing her to moan his name, before plunging his manhood into her. Catherine moaned loudly at the connection and turned her head back just in time to see Lou beginning to move slowly in and out of her, her juices coating his member.

"Kiss me," she whispered, her now dark eyes looking directly into his. Lou leaned over and captured her lips in a passionate kiss before pulling back with a pop and quickening his movements.

As Catherine felt pleasure beginning to build up deep inside of her, she closed her eyes tightly and bit her lip while pushing back against her lover, slowly building up a rhythm of her own. Every time he pumped his hips into her, she pushed back against him.

The shower glass walls began to fill with hot steams and the moans and groans of pleasure coming from the couple's mouths were muffled by the sound of hot water hitting the tile floor and their naked bodies as they finally reached their release.

Catherine was the first one to cry out Lou's name as her body stiffened and her walls clamped down around his member. Her body trembled violently in his arms as her it released hot, white juices, which caused Lou to thrust faster and harder into her before tightening his grip on her hips and releasing his own white, sticky liquid inside of her. He collapsed against her back, both panting and trying to catch their breath, as his now deflated member slipped out of her and the mixture of fluid their bodies had created washed down the drain along with the hot water.

"Thank you," Lou murmured against Catherine's shoulder before pressing a soft kiss to the wet skin.

"You're very welcome." She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her back against his body, and pressed her, once again, against the steaming glass wall with his body in case their suddenly weak legs would give out beneath them. Burying his face in her wet hair, he sniffed her scent, which combined the strawberry shampoo she used to wash her hair and the scent that was uniquely Catherine.

They kept standing still in silence, Lou holding Catherine against his body, and enjoyed the afterglow of their love making, before a very familiar sound interrupted their peaceful silence.

"Mom, get Dylan off me!"

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><p><strong>I FINALLY wrote a sex scene, mainly because I was afraid Sheena would come here and try to kill me.<strong>

**I know this chapter was longer than usual, but I don't think it really bothered you, did it? ;)**

**-Zohar**


	15. Say My Name

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

**A/N: Sorry, guys, I know it's been a while, but I have a good excuse: I was in Holland and didn't have my laptop with me.  
>Anyway, I'm on my summer break now, which means I have all the time I need to write so you're probably gonna see a lot of stories from me. <strong>

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><p><strong>Say My Name<strong>

Dylan's eyes were wide and drool was dripping out of his mouth and onto his chin as he sat in his high chair and his little arms tried desperately to reach and take hold of the chocolate chip cookie his dad was holding in front of his face.

"Look," Lou said, moving the cookie closer to his son and, much to the baby's displeasure, quickly pulling it away. "Doesn't this cookie look good?"

When the 1-year-old opened his mouth to reveal two lower teeth and two upper ones and leaned forward in an attempt to get closer to the desired cookie, Lou added, "Oh, you want it? Well, there's something you need to do first."

The response he received was a somewhat annoyed and frustrated sound coming from his son's hungry mouth.

"Say my name first," he said.

Another, similar sound.

"Come on, buddy. If you want this cookie, you need to say my name first."

At this point, the frustrated baby was already squirming in his chair, his arms flying in the air in an attempt to take hold of the cookie, and annoyed sounds leaving his little mouth.

"Just say daddy," Lou encouraged. "Even just dada. Whichever you decide, buddy."

For the past few weeks, Dylan had been trying to start talking, but so far only half words would come out. Catherine didn't want to push her son and decided to give him time until he was finally able to start talking; Lou, on the other hand, was desperate to hear his son calling him for the first time, and, like most parents, he wanted his son's first word to be his name.

"Come on," he kept encouraging. "'Daddy.' See? It's easy. Da-ddy. Say it."

This time, instead of trying to reach for the cookie, Dylan came up with a new tactic and his little hands started banging on the plastic tray attached to his chair as the sounds escaping his mouth grew louder and more demanding.

He was too stubborn.

"Well," Lou faked a sigh, "I take it you don't want this cookie. Okay," he added with another sigh. "I'll just eat it instead."

As he slowly raised the cookie to his mouth, Dylan's annoyed sounds were suddenly replaced by hysteric crying at the possibility of losing the cookie. His arms proceeded to try to reach for the nearly gone cookie as his face became red and tears started pouring freely out of his eyes.

"Lou, just give him the damn cookie," Catherine, who had been standing by the counter the whole time, finally instructed through her boy's loud crying.

"Fine," Lou sighed in defeat before finally handing the cookie to his son, who immediately stopped crying and, hiccupping, took the cookie into both little hands and started biting.

"You can't push him into saying your name," Catherine said as she walked over to the kitchen table and placed two plates with breakfast on it. "He'll say it when he's ready."

Lou sighed in response. "I know," he said. "I just want it to be the first thing he says."

"Give him time," she said as both sat down to the table. "He's trying to talk. Soon he'll be able to say full words. Besides," she added as she grabbed a piece of bread and started rubbing jam on it, "if we're talking about his first word, it's not gonna be your name; it's gonna be mine."

Lou's mocking laughter nearly made him choke on his coffee and he put the mug back down on the table before saying, "Yeah? And what makes you think that?"

"Well, let's see," she began. "He was inside me for nine months, he gave me morning sickness and back pains, he came out of me and made it impossible for me to walk for over a week, and, well, I'm his mother; he's supposed to love me more." She finished with a shrug before taking a bite of her bread. "What did you do exactly? Only gave me your sperm."

"Hey." Lou pointed a blaming finger at her. "Don't mock my sperm."

"I _love_ your sperm," she replied, emphasizing the word "love" while rolling her eyes.

"And excuse me, missy," he said more seriously with a frown, "but what makes you think that he loves you more? I'm his father. It's known that boys love their fathers more."

A giggle escaped Catherine's lips and she silenced it with a sip of water before turning her head to look at him and saying, "You wish."

They sat silently; glaring at each other, before Lou finally broke the silence. "You know what? I'll make you a bet."

Catherine's eyebrow arched upwards in curiosity. "A bet?"

"Yep, a bet. We'll see which name Dylan says as his first word – mommy or daddy. If I win, I get a free lap dance."

Catherine raised her eyebrow again and suppressed a laugh as she said, "Oh, yeah? And what do I get if I win?"

"What do you want?"

"Hmm… let's see…" She leaned back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling, running in her mind all options for a prize. Finally, she sat up straight and turned to look at him. "If I win, you cook for me whatever I want for dinner."

One of Lou's best skills was cooking. He was talented in the kitchen just as much as Catherine used to be around a pole and Catherine knew, from experience, that eating something he made was like having an orgasm in your mouth. Having him cook a meal for her, she decided, seemed like a proper prize.

"You got it," Lou replied.

"Oh, and red wine," she added.

"Agreed," he said, nodding, and, extending his hand to her, added, "It's pleasure doing business with you."

A slow smiled appeared on Catherine's lips as she took his hand in hers and shook. "Like wise."

* * *

><p>That night, everyone was home, each in their own business, after Catherine and Lou had argued for thirty minutes who was going to pick Dylan up from the day care after work; both, obviously, trying to earn their 1-year-old son's love. When Brass had walked into Lou's office, nevertheless, with a pile of paperwork, it had been settled: Catherine had won the argument and picked Dylan up.<p>

Now, while changing his diaper and getting him ready to sleep, she was trying to gain some more of the baby's love.

"You know," she said softly as she buttoned the front buttons on the blue pajamas she had dressed Dylan with, "after you were born, I stayed home for six months to take care of you instead of going to work."

When she finished with the buttons, she looked up at the baby's face to see him holding a furry doll in both hands and chewing on it while his eyes were fixated on the glowing stars painted on the ceiling in the nursery.

He was completely not interested in what she had to say.

Catherine decided to try something else. "Daddy, on the other hand," she began as she gathered the boy into her arms, causing him to take the doll out of his mouth and look at her, "worked almost every day. Now, he's probably gonna tell you that he was working to get money so he could afford whatever you wanted and kinds of stuff like that, but I just wanted you to know who cared enough to stay home and be with you all the time."

The sound of clapping interrupted her and caused her to turn around to see Lou standing in the doorway with an amused smile of his face.

"So you're trying to get him to say your name first by making me look bad," Lou said, the smile never leaving his face. "Nice."

"I wasn't cheating." She shook her head as she walked over to the crib and placed the boy inside after kissing him goodnight. Turning back to face Lou, she added, "We didn't say anything about manipulating him."

"Don't you think it's a little cruel, though?" Lou asked while walking toward the crib and looking down at his son. "He's your son, after all."

Catherine turned her head to see him making funny faces at the amused baby in the crib. "Like you wouldn't try anything like that," she stated with an amused smile, causing him to turn his head and look at her.

"Me?" he asked in mocked shock. "Never."

* * *

><p>One of the things his job as a detective required was checking the scene was clear of people as he walked in, and that was exactly what Lou did the next day as he walked into the house.<p>

It was his and Catherine's day off work and, after having breakfast with his family and taking Lindsey to school, he had lied to Catherine and told her he was going to the grocery store. He'd figured that if she could play dirty and manipulate Dylan into saying her name first, so could he.

After silently checking the place was clear and Catherine was nowhere to be seen, he walked into the living room to find Dylan lying on his back on his play mat, holding some toy above his head with both hands, and observing it in fascination.

Kneeling beside the toddler, he put his "grocery bag" on the floor and took out a little ball.

"Hey, buddy," he cooed, showing Dylan his new present. "Look what I got you."

At the sound of his dad's voice, Dylan let go of his toy and turned his head to see his dad holding a new one. A happy smile spread on his face, revealing four little teeth, as he started making noises of excitement while holding his hands out for the new present, which Lou gladly placed in them, watching happily as the little boy studied the ball with big, green eyes and finally brought it down to his mouth to let his new teeth check how hard it was and whether it was breakable like some of his other toys.

"Smart," a sound from the doorway caused Lou's eyes to leave his happy son and look up at a smiling Catherine. "Bribing your son. That's very fatherly of you."

"At least I'm not trying to make his mom look bad," Lou defended himself as he got up and walked over to her.

Spotting the bag full of new toys on the floor by Dylan's play mat, Catherine tilted her head to the side as she asked, "When you went shopping for groceries, did you remember to buy wine for my dinner?"

A slow, smug smile appeared on Lou's lips. "Oh, you are so sure you're gonna win, aren't you?"

Catherine nodded in response as if it was the most obvious thing in thw world. "Yes, I am."

"You better go pick up some sexy lingerie," he replied, "because he's going to say my name real soon."

"Oh, I'm so gonna win this bet."

"You wish."

"Hi, guys." The sound of their daughter returning from school and entering the living room barely registered in the couple's minds as they focused on shooting glares at each other, and just weak "hi"s left their mouths in response.

"Why do you have to be so Goddamn stubborn all the time?" Catherine questioned Lou as the younger blonde grabbed the remote from the coffee table and, flopping down on the couch, turned on the TV.

"Because it's so hard for you to believe that my son would say my name first," Lou replied.

A look of surprise flashed across Catherine's face at Lou's words and both were quiet for a few seconds. Meanwhile, Dylan rolled onto his stomach, got on all four, and crawled over to Lindsey, who looked so fascinated in the moving pictures inside the black box. He wanted to join the fun.

"Dylan, go away, I'm trying to watch TV," the girl hissed, her eyes never leaving the screen, as her brother tugged on her leg, his big, green eyes staring up at her.

"_Your _son?" Catherine finally found her voice to answer Lou after registering his words. She didn't give him time to reply – or rephrase himself – however, before continuing, "And correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't _your _son," she said, emphasizing the word "your" again, "prefer a cookie over saying your name?"

"He was just hungry," Lou defended himself with a weak shrug.

"Oh, he was just hungry," she repeated in more of a statement than a question.

"Dylan, go away," Lindsey's voice was heard again, but barely registered in the couple's minds. "Why are you always so annoying?" This time, she finished with a light kick to get her little brother off her leg.

"Would it pain you so much to hear him saying my name?" Catherine asked, blue eyes looking directly into green-grey ones.

"Would it pain you to hear him say mine?" Lou responded.

Meanwhile, Lindsey was busy trying to get Dylan to leave her alone by gently pushing him away with her leg. That caused the little boy to try to get closer to his big sister. However, she was too focused on the TV and he wanted her attention.

Suddenly, as the couple in the doorway kept fighting and Lindsey tried to concentrate on the TV show, a combination of sounds and pronunciations that sounded suspiciously like the word "Lindsey" left Dylan's mouth.

That definitely caught Lindsey's attention and her wide eyes left the TV screen to look down in shock at her little brother, who had just said his first word – her name. Or at least something that sounded like it.

When she turned her head to see if her parents had heard the same thing, she found them still arguing, completely oblivious to the exciting occurrence.

"You're just jealous," Catherine stated, arms folded against her chest.

"Jealous?" Lou almost laughed. "Of what?"

"That I got to spend more time with him so he's more attached to me."

"Oh, and that means he's gonna say your name first?"

Catherine only managed to nod, because before she could reply, her daughter's voice finally caught hers and Lou's attention.

"Uh, guys…?" Both turned their heads to see Lindsey's somewhat shocked expression and, pointing at her little brother, she continued, "I think Dylan just said my name."

Their eyes wandered down to their son before both heads snapped back to meet each other and this time shocked blue eyes looked into shocked green-grey ones.

Both parents lost the bet.

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><p><strong>I don't know if the ending was so good, what did you think?<strong>

*** Just a little note: I don't actually know if and how many teeth babies have at this age, but hey, it's just FF, and I needed him to eat the cookie ;)**

**-Zohar**


	16. Birthday Boy

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

**A/N: This chapter was supposed to be just about Cath and Lou, but I knew some of you also wanted some Dylan so I squeezed him in ;)  
>Hope you like it.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Birthday Boy<strong>

The first thing that Lou saw when he woke up was a pair of boobs. A pair of perfectly structured boobs. While admiring the amazing sight that hadn't awaited him every morning, Lou was sure he was still dreaming, and so he decided to go along with the dream.

With blurry eyes, he reached up with both hands and cupped the two works of art in his big palms. Once both breasts were buried securely in the palms of his hands, Lou looked up to see the amused look on Catherine's face. That was when his brain finally informed him that perhaps he wasn't dreaming, after all.

"Good morning," he finally heard the sweet voice of the woman above him say.

"A very good morning," he replied with a cheeky smile. "What did I do to deserve your naked body on top of me first thing in the morning?"

Grinning smugly, Catherine leaned down, causing Lou's hands to leave her breasts and his arms to wrap around her slim waist, and whispered into his ear, "Happy birthday," causing a shiver to run down his spine at the sensation of her warm breath on his skin. Nevertheless, his facial expression suddenly changed into a grumpy one and he let out a grumble.

"Thanks for reminding me how old I am."

Sitting back up, Catherine looked down at her man with a frown. "40 is not old," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, I feel old," Lou insisted.

"Well," Catherine gave up and decided to try a new tactic to get him in the mood as she leaned back down until her lips were mere inches from his ear, "you're the sexiest old man I know," she whispered huskily before taking his earlobe between her lips and sucking gently.

This time the groan she received was one of pleasure, and she took it as an approval to go on. Sitting back up, she took hold of the waistband of Lou's boxers and, rising slightly, pulled the undergarment from his legs, tossing it somewhere in the room. When his member was finally released from its confines, she was pleased to find it already hard and ready for her. She took it in her head and stroked it gently, occasionally rubbing her thumb across the tip, causing the man beneath her to tilt his head back with a sigh of contentment leaving his lips.

"Now, birthday boy," she said huskily with a seductive smile playing on her lips, "you can do whatever you want with me."

Another, rumbling groan escaped from Lou's lips and a wide grin spread across his face as he ran his hands down her sides. "I'm not going to say no to that," he said as his hands stopped at her hips and, grabbing them gently, he lifted her body slightly before lowering it down onto his awaiting shaft.

A satisfied sigh left the couple's mouth simultaneously as they became one. Catherine braced herself with both hands planted firmly on Lou's chest as she began to move slowly. She would rise until only the head of his penis was inside of her before plunging herself back down until he was fully buried within her warm walls. Lou closed his eyes and enjoyed the pleasure she was granting him, soft groans and sighs leaving his mouth every time she rotated her hips.

Nevertheless, eventually the torturously slow pace started driving him crazy and so Lou gripped her hips again and guided her up and down his shaft, this time faster and harder, eliciting moans and groans of pleasure from the both of them.

Lou's hands left Catherine's hips, but she kept up the quick pace, and his eyes closed as he enjoyed the amazing sensation brought by the goddess above him, the sound of her moans just adding to the intense pleasure he was feeling at that moment. Her moans sounded like music in his ears.

Leaning down once again so she was almost lying on top of him, Catherine planted her hands on the mattress on either side of Lou's head to steady herself as she pushed harder against Lou's member. She leaned her forehead against Lou's, their warm, heavy breaths mixing together. It frustrated her that his eyes were closed.

"Lou, look at me," she panted. She wanted to look into his eyes as she brought both of them to the end. When his eyes wouldn't open, she repeated, "Open your eyes, Lou. Look at me."

This time he opened his eyes and she gasped at what she saw in them. His usual bright green-grey eyes were now dark and clouded with lust. Apparently he saw a similar thing in her eyes, because he let out a gasp about the same time she did, and just when her brows furrowed and she felt the familiar tingle in her core, she felt him draw himself out of her.

Before she had time to protest or even register what was happening, she found herself on her back beneath Lou's big, muscular body, and before she could even take in a breath, he plunged back into her hot sex. She could only let out a gasp as he started moving in and out of her at a frantic pace, stealing all the air from her lungs and all coherent thoughts from her head. All she could see now was stars.

Lou buried his face in Catherine's neck as he focused on bringing the two of them to utter bliss. He was moving so hard and fast, it seemed as though he was getting deeper with every thrust.

Eventually he couldn't take it anymore. When he felt Catherine's walls contracting around his member and her back arched as she cried out his name while showering his shaft with her warm juices, he lost it. He gave one final thrust until he was buried deep inside her wet heat and his body trembled slightly as he shot white, sticky liquid into her with a loud groan.

A few minutes later, after both had caught their breath, Lou finally rolled off of Catherine and onto his back out of fear of "crashing" her. Not wanting to lose connection, nevertheless, he pulled her tight against his body and she, in turn, rested her head and hand on his chest, feeling his rushed heartbeats.

They lay in silence, enjoying each other's presence, as their breath slowly regulated. Lou was just about to fall asleep when he suddenly felt Catherine's warm body leaving the bed and, more importantly, leaving his side.

"Where are you going?" he questioned, bracing himself on his forearms and looking after her as she headed in the direction of the en suite.

Still fully naked, she looked over her shoulder and flashed him a cheeky grin. "Bathroom."

He flopped back onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling, smiling like the cat that got the cream. Maybe turning 40 wasn't that bad, after all.

A few minutes later, he heard the en suite door open and raised his head to see Catherine stepping back into the room. Truth be told, he was slightly disappointed when he saw that she'd put on her robe. The fact that it was made of silk and barely reached her things, however, more than made up for it.

Crawling back into bed, Catherine straddled Lou's lap before lying on top of him and resting her head in the crook of his neck. Lou ran his hands through her strawberry-blonde hair while sniffing in the scent of her strawberry shampoo and sighed in contentment.

"I gotta say," he sighed again, "this is the best birthday celebration I've ever had."

A small grin crept onto Catherine's lips as she raised her head from his chest and looked at him. "It's not over yet."

"It's not?" Lou raised an eyebrow, receiving a shake of the strawberry-blonde's head.

"We're taking you to your favorite restaurant tonight," she said with a smile.

"We?" he questioned with a similar smile.

"Me and the kids."

"Yeah, where are they?" Lou finally realized that it was already 10am and they hadn't heard the kids nor felt their presence.

"My mom came to pick them up before you woke up," Catherine explained. "I wanted us to have the morning to ourselves. Especially because I don't think Lindsey would have been so pleased to hear us. Or catch us. Again," she added, a look of horror flashing in her eyes at the memory of their daughter walking in on them on one of their morning "wake up calls."

"Yeah, I guess it was a good idea," Lou agreed, trying to brush the same memory out of his head. Finally shaking his head in an attempt to return to reality, he cupped Catherine's cheeks in both hands and smiled. "I loved my present. Thank you." He finished with a lingering kiss to her lips.

"Oh, that wasn't your present." Catherine shook her head slightly when they broke apart.

"It wasn't?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

Shaking her head again with a smile, she got off of him and opened her nightstand drawer, pulling out a mysterious black box that Lou had never seen before. Straddling him again, she handed him the box with a soft smile while saying, "Happy birthday."

Raising his eyebrow again, Lou curiously took the box from her hands and slowly opened it only to let out a small gasp as he saw its contents. Wide eyed, he pulled out a golden Rolex watch decorated with tiny diamonds.

"Cath, it's awesome," he exclaimed and did his best to tear his eyes from the expensive jewelry and look up at her. "How did you know?"

"Well, remember a few months ago, when we walked around the mall and you saw this watch and told me how much you wanted it but couldn't afford it?"

"Yeah, because it costs more than I make in three months," he exclaimed, looking back down at the watch to admire its beauty.

"Well, you're worth it," Catherine stated before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

"Thank you." Lou smiled when they broke apart and caressed her cheek. "It's amazing." Leaving her cheek, his hand went to the back of her head and pulled her back down for another, deeper kiss. When they broke apart again, he held up the watch with a frown and asked, "How did you remember? It was months ago."

"I remember everything that you like," Catherine answered with a shrug and then continued with a lower, huskier voice, "For example; I remember that you love when I do this…" She leaned down and sucked gently on the skin of his neck just below his chin, causing him to let out a quiet groan. "And I also remember that you like when I do this…" she continued with a whisper, this time reaching between their bodies and brushing her fingers across his inner thigh, again eliciting a quiet groan from him. "And this…" She took his already hardening member in her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before rubbing it gently.

Before she could go any further, Lou dumped the watch on the bed, grabbed her hips, and rolled them over so his body was hovering over hers. He deftly undid the tie on her robe, causing it to open and reveal her marvelous body to his hungry eyes, as he said huskily, "Now let me show you what I remember you like."

* * *

><p>"Say, 'Happy birthday, Daddy,'" Catherine encouraged Dylan, holding him in front of Lou's face. Both were already wearing fancy outfits for the birthday dinner and Lou assumed Catherine had bought them especially for this occasion since he'd never seen them before. He had to admit, nevertheless, that Catherine looked absolutely gorgeous with her purple, tight dress.<p>

The toddler had an amused smile on his face and he shook his hand while sweetly saying, "No," causing the two adults to chuckle.

"No?" Catherine asked with a smile. "You won't say happy birthday?"

Another head shaking with an amused "no."

"Can you say anything other then no?"

"No."

For the past two months, Dylan had learned many new words – even "mama" and "dada" – and he would babble as much as possible whenever he had the opportunity, even if most of his words weren't coherent. Catherine, Lou, and Lindsey had learned and understood his language. Nevertheless, out of all the words he had learned, Dylan's favorite word was "no," which he had learned from Lindsey when Catherine had once asked her to take out the trash. Since that moment, he wouldn't stop saying this word, whether he understood what people were asking him or not. Sometimes, he would even say it when he wasn't being asked a yes or no question or a question at all. He just loved saying this word.

After a few more failed attempts of Catherine to make Dylan say something other than no – preferably congratulate his dad on his birthday – Lou chuckled and decided to go take a shower. Kissing the stubborn toddler's head, he left the living room and went upstairs, leaving Catherine to let Dylan down so he could crawl back onto his play mat.

* * *

><p>Catherine walked into the bedroom just in time to see Lou putting on the jacket of her favorite suit and checking himself out in the full-length mirror. She stood in the doorway for a minute, just staring at him from behind and admiring his looks. She couldn't help it, suits – and especially that suit – made him look incredibly handsome. Not to mention how cute they made his butt look.<p>

Biting her bottom lip, she walked over to her man and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Hey, handsome," she whispered into his strong shoulder blade. Lou smiled in response and rested his hands on the arms wrapped around him.

"Happy birthday," she added, kissing his cheek.

"You've already said," he whispered with a smile.

"So?"

Breaking the embrace, Lou turned around and wrapped his arms around her small waist, bringing her body flush with his. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," she replied with a smile before standing on her tip toes and kissing his lips softly. "Ready to go?" she asked when they broke apart and he nodded in response. "Good. The kids are already waiting downstairs." Freeing herself from his arms, she took hold of his hand. A small smirk played on her lips as she saw his new watch on his wrist, and with that she led him out of the room to continue the birthday celebrations.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you liked it. I'd like to know what you think (:<strong>

**-Zohar**


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